Clubs seek clarifications from MFA
National associations get Lm2,000 per match from UEFA to cover refs' costs
Premier League clubs are seeking clarifications from the Malta FA over the alleged failure on the association's part to cover the expenses related to match officials in UEFA club competitions despite receiving funds from the European governing body of football to do so.
During a meeting with MFA presidential candidate Norman Darmanin Demajo last weekend, representatives of Premier League clubs were told that, for the past nine seasons, they were made to pay for the referees' costs in European matches in spite of the fact that UEFA pays national associations 8,000 Swiss francs (Lm2,070) per match to make good for such expenses.
Such revelation inevitably irritated the representatives of the clubs who formally requested Birkirkara FC official John Borg, who represents Maltese clubs on the UEFA Club Forum (ECF), to investigate the claim.
Borg, who is also a member of the ECF Board, got in touch with UEFA officials to try and find out more information on the issue.
Contacted by The Times yesterday, Borg said UEFA confirmed the allocation of 8,000 Swiss francs per UEFA club match for referees-related expenses, which money is passed directly to the national association.
"In his reply, Yvan Cornu, the Head of Refereeing (UEFA National Associations) confirmed that, at the end of each season, UEFA pays the member association a set amount of 8,000 Swiss francs per match to cover the costs related to match officials, referee's observer and liaison officer," Borg told The Times.
"The letter also specifies that, based on the UEFA circular no.48 dated July 22, 1998, the national associations are responsible for the care of referees at match venues, not the clubs."
The official correspondence from UEFA is likely to trigger a bold reaction from all those clubs who have figured in UEFA matches - Champions League, UEFA Cup and Intertoto Cup - since 1998.
It transpires that the costs for the transport and accommodation of referees during their stay in Malta, have always been borne by the clubs.
Besides demanding a refund, clubs will also be anxious to know the reasons behind the Malta FA's failure to foot the referees' bills.
Joe Mifsud, the president of the MFA, yesterday told The Times that the issue has already been brought to the association's attention.
"I've instructed the association's finance department to look into the matter," Dr Mifsud said.