Mifsud, Darmanin Demajo sole candidates for MFA presidency

Psaila among eight nominees for three vice-president roles Joe Mifsud and Norman Darmanin Demajo are the only two candidates for the Malta Football Association's presidential election.

A media communication by the Malta FA yesterday confirmed that Dr Mifsud, the present incumbent, and Darmanin Demajo, officially declared their intention to run for the association's presidency before the deadline for nominations expired in midweek.

Three years after the long-serving MFA president Dr Mifsud defeated Joe Caruana Curran in a close race for the top job in Maltese football, the association's council members and club delegates must be bracing themselves for another potentially neck-and-neck and tense election at the association's annual general meeting, scheduled for next Saturday at the Centenary Hall.

Whereas the election for MFA president will be a head-to-head showdown between Dr Mifsud and Darmanin Demajo, a former MFA honorary treasurer, the vote to choose the three vice-presidents for the next three years will be contested by eight candidates.

Carmelo Bartolo and Ludovico Micallef, two long-time MFA vice-presidents, and Pippo Psaila, the former national coach who, for the past 14 years, has occupied the prominent post of Director of Sport within the Maltese Olympic Committee, will be joined in the ballot by Michael Cutajar, Peter Fenech, Joseph Hedley, Alex Manfrè, the current MFA treasurer, and Bjorn Vassallo.

Manfrè and Hedley have also put their names forward for the post of MFA treasurer along with George Micallef.

The elections of the MFA president, vice-presidents and honorary treasurer, are listed as items six to eight on the AGM's agenda, starting at 9.30 a.m.

The candidates nominated to fill the 11 ordinary seats on the MFA Executive Committee are:

Premier League (two vacancies): Joseph Gauci, Joseph Sammut, Paul Spiteri.

First division (two vacancies): Redeno Apap; John Vella.

Second division (one vacancy): Joe Mifsud (Naxxar Lions).

Third division (one vacancy): Joseph Farrugia (Kirkop).

Council members in representation of member clubs in general (two vacancies): Joseph Gauci, Joseph Hedley, Raymond Micallef, Charles J. Scerri, Paul Spiteri, Salvu Vella.

Council member in representation of Youth FA: Joe Micallef.

Council members in representation of the other Member Associations (two vacancies): Charles Calleja, Kenneth Cassar, Joseph M. Cassar Naudi.