Motion of no confidence in entire MFA board

Sliema Wanderers FC president Robert Arrigo is formally calling for the resignation of the Malta Football Association administration board - including president Joe Mifsud - over its handling of a convicted paedophile who was allowed to stay on as groundsman at Pace Grasso.

Speaking on a radio programme in June, Mr Arrigo, a government MP, said he would move a vote of no confidence in the entire MFA board at the next annual general meeting.

True to his word, Mr Arrigo wrote to the MFA general secretary on Thursday formally requesting a secret ballot among the 110 football clubs' representatives who are eligible to vote during the AGM due on July 29.

Mr Arrigo is also seeking the resignation of the sports facilities board and the officials responsible for the administration of the Pace Grasso pitch.

Besides repeated calls for Dr Mifsud's removal by Family and Social Solidarity Minister Dolores Cristina, the Association For The Promotion Of Sport In Malta and the media, public opinion was also critical of the way in which the MFA dealt with the case, Mr Arrigo wrote in his motion of no confidence.

"In the light of such events are you in agreement with the way the MFA is being administered? Would anyone present be prepared to have their children attend a 'playground' (be it football or otherwise), falling under the responsibility of an individual who is a convicted paedophile?"

Giving a detailed account of events since the case was made public by Joe Gerada, CEO of the Foundation for Social Welfare Services, on May 7, Mr Arrigo argues that the board had acted against its own document called Child Protection In Football, which was endorsed by Dr Mifsud as MFA president. The document was prepared by the MFA's Youth Committee and contains guidelines to protect child footballers from abuse.

He went on to say that it was "a matter of national interest to ensure that Malta's foremost sports institution embraces the interest of our children that are so dear to us".

Mr Arrigo hopes to garner support from fellow Premier club presidents: "Birkirkara FC president Victor Zammit expressed his disagreement on the way the situation was handled by Dr Mifsud as he felt that the matter was handled incorrectly. Even the Valletta Football Club president, Charles Camilleri, acknowledged the fact that he would have handled the matter differently even though he did not want to comment on the (MFA) president's resignation. Similar comments were also submitted by the president of Hibernians FC Anthony Bezzina."

Soon after the case was made public by Mr Gerada, who said that the matter was especially serious because the ground was used by youths for training and students of Guzè D'Amato secondary school for recreation, the MFA withdrew permission for the Paola school to use Pace Grasso.

Denying any wrongdoing, the MFA said it would leave it to the public to decide whether "in a long life, if someone is found guilty only once of corrupting a minor, should one be labelled a paedophile?"

After weeks of public outrage and calls for Dr Mifsud's resignation, the MFA said it had learned in May that the groundsman had not gone to open or close the ground "for months" and that the authorities of the school had access to the ground.

"This means that the so-called 'danger' was much ado about nothing since the person concerned has not frequented the ground," the MFA said, declaring the case closed as far as it was concerned.

Responding to calls for his resignation from Ms Cristina on May 21, Dr Mifsud told The Sunday Times: "Do you think I should give the minister any explanation?"

Local sports observers doubted whether the motion would gain support given that the MFA administration, led by Dr Mifsud, enjoys widespread support from many football clubs.