UEFA vice-presidency an honour for Maltese football, says Mifsud
Malta FA president Joe Mifsud was given a warm welcome by relatives and fellow MFA officials on his return to Malta following his appointment as one of UEFA's vice-presidents during the European body's 33rd Ordinary Congress in Copenhagen on...
Malta FA president Joe Mifsud was given a warm welcome by relatives and fellow MFA officials on his return to Malta following his appointment as one of UEFA's vice-presidents during the European body's 33rd Ordinary Congress in Copenhagen on Wednesday.
Dr Mifsud was nominated for the post of vice-president by UEFA chief Michel Platini. His nomination was unanimously approved by the members of the newly-elected Executive Committee.
Dr Mifsud is the first Maltese to occupy such a prestigious post within the European governing body of football. His term of office comes to an end in 2011.
The Malta FA president was greeted at the Malta International Airport by his mother Carmen and wife Angela. Also present were MFA vice-presidents Ludovico Micallef and Peter Fenech along with other members of the association's Executive Committee.
"I am really honoured to have been given this opportunity to work in such a prestigious capacity," Dr Mifsud said.
"This is a great honour for our country as it's not every day that an association from such a small island like Malta is awarded such an important appointment in European football.
"Serving UEFA as vice-president is a big responsibility but I'm prepared to carry out my duties to the best of my abilities as I have always done since I started my career in football administration."
Dr Mifsud's prestigious appointment is a timely boost for the local game which has been under the spotlight for the wrong reasons in the past few weeks due to a spate of match-fixing cases.
"My stance on corruption in football has not changed," the MFA president said.
"My new post at UEFA has increased my determination to clamp down on match-fixing.
"Malta is not the only country affected by this problem. UEFA have today charged a Macedonian club with fixing a Champions League match in 2004.
"As president of the Malta FA and UEFA vice-president, I am determined to do all I can to safeguard the credibility of Maltese football."