Slideshow | Darmanin Demajo elected MFA president, Joe Mifsud ousted

All photos by Ray Attard

Newly elected MFA president Norman Darmanin Demajo will not order an internal inquiry into the allegations on how his defeated opponent Joe Mifsud has spent TV rights earned for Malta international matches, and stressed that “this is a matter for the courts to decide as a libel suit is still underway.”

In comments to MaltaToday shortly after his election to the MFA presidency, Norman Darmanin Demajo stressed that his immediate priority is to see an improvement within the way things are handled with the National team. “We must win back the respect of our opponents.”

“I’m not interested in any witch-hunts, and will let the courts decide on what I said and quoted over the allegations of money,” Darmanin Demajo told MaltaToday.

Darmanin Demajo revealed documents on the June 2000 friendly between Bayern Munich and a Maltese team selection, for which a sum of money was allegedly paid to influence Mifsud’s vote in favour of the German bid to host the 2006 World Cup.

He claimed that in October 2000, the MFA had received a payment of US$250,000 in its account, with Mifsud then producing a contract – which was a ‘certified true copy of the original’ – which however aroused suspicion in the way it was worded.

According to investigative reporter Andrew Jennings in a programme on Fifa on BBC’s Panorama, lucrative TV deals for matches were arranged between Germany's top club buyer and Joe Mifsud, one of FIFA's crucial voters.

“The deal was made by the German owned sports marketing company CWL… CWL had been paying money to the Maltese Association for years under existing contracts. But this one-off contract left the account number and sort code blank, but specifically named President Joe Mifsud. The payment was scribbled in, a quarter of a million dollars. The money was to be paid into a trust account in June. But our sources say that Dr Mifsud didn't tell anybody in Malta about his coup for another four months. Then, during a row about his dealings with CWL he produced a contract and the money then appeared in the Maltese FA's accounts.”

But Norman Darmanin Demajo is set to bring about “big changes” within the local football scene, promising an immediate commitment to improving club revenue and ensuring a sustainable plan for improving the infrastructure for football.

Asked about Joe Mifsud who still hold a high ranking position within Uefa as one of the five Vice=-President’s, Norman Darmanin Demajo explained that his defeated rival will honour his mandate until March 2011, “after that we will see what will happen.”

Norman Darmanin Demajo stopped short of committing himself on whether the MFA would re-propose  Joe Mifsud on the Uefa Executive committee.

Also contacted yesterday, Joe Mifsud insisted that he had “no comment” to make about his defeat after 18 years of rule as Malta’s football Czar.

The build-up to the crucial election saw the campaign being politically tainted as MaltaToday revealed how Labour leader Joseph Muscat was angered at the news that One TV chairman Jason Micallef and former Lorry Sant henchman Ronnie Pellegrini have been campaigning to have Joe Mifsud re-elected as president.

It is understood that a 'secret agreement' was reached between Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Opposition leader Joseph Muscat that both political parties will stay away from interfering in the toughly contested election for the MFA presidency.

Tensions were high as the 109 delegates from clubs around Malta and Gozo cast their votes yesterday.

Supporters erupted inside the MFA offices at Ta' Qali as it was confirmed, when Darmanin Demajo got over 54 votes, that the rival candidate had made it. Further jubilation was heard when it emerged that Peter Fenech was also outsted from his post as Deputy President of the MFA.

In an election tip to representatives of the clubs who were expected to vote, MFA secretary-general Joe Gauci announced that from the new television and stadium advertising agreement, the MFA would give 50% of any extra bonuses to member clubs so that they could continue to develop their youth sector.

Presenting the administrative report for the season 2009-2010, Gauci explained that attendance for the year had recovered later in the season and overall registered an increase for the third consecutive year.

Attendance for Maltese football matches decreased in the first few matches of 2010 after two Premier League clubs were relegated.

A section of the report on the future of the association was followed by a picture of Joe Mifsud emblazoned on the big screen inside the MFA offices.

An agreement with the four TV stations – TVM, Net TV, One TV and Favourite, enabled the MFA to broadcast highlights of the games which generated a lot of interest from football fans. 45 matches were broadcast by Melita.

Mifsud also announced that the MFA had renewed its three-year agreement with Melita plc for the broadcasting of local domestic matches. MFA also signed an agreement with GO to provide some free telecoms’ services to the MFA.

Earlier in the day, Joe Mifsud succumbed to pressure by MaltaToday and had to allow its access to its journalists into the MFA headquarters to report the Annual General Meeting. Mifsud had had previously blocked MT  journalist Charlot Zahra from entering the building to legitimately cover the election process.

MaltaToday challenged Joe Mifsud’s authority through the MFA press official Mark Muscat who informed the journalist that his accreditation had been “revoked” as the AGM proceedings began.

But this order was subsequently overturned when senior staff members from MaltaToday  turned up at the MFA headquarters insisting that access to the paper’s journalists be granted.

MaltaToday stressed with MFA official Mark Muscat that denial of access to journalists from covering an important election such as yesterday was  unheard of in a democratic country, and also raises serious doubts about the transparency around the electoral process.

“If you don’t allow access to MaltaToday, you are telling me that MFA has something to hide,”  MT journalist Karl Stagno-Navarra told Mark Muscat who had just admitted that he had “no reason” to give for the accreditation being revoked.

Stagno-Navarra informed the MFA that it was scandalous that Joe Mifsud – a contestant in an election –was running the electoral process and was at liberty to abusively decide who can cover the event and not.

“Situations like this exist only in North Korea, where the leader is supreme and there is no opposition,” Stagno-Navarra told MFA officials, who subsequently decided to revoke the previous order and allow access to journalist Charlot Zahra.

The same happened to Norman Darmanin Demajo, who as a contestant for the post was refused accreditation into the MFA, and had to speak out on The Times to have the decision revoked.

But while Joe Mifsud faced his downfall, the power-hungry football mogul was condemned by the National Sports Journalists Association (Ghaqda Kittieba Sports) for having repeatedly refused entry into the MFA to Illum sports journalist Mark Attard.

In a statement, the Gh. K. S. stressed that prohibiting a journalist in any circumstance goes against all principles of democracy and hinders freedom of speech.

Mifsud has sued Illum journalist Mark Attard for reporting claims by rival candidate Norman Darmanin Demajo on how Mifsud has spent TV rights earned for Malta international matches.