The Malta FA are applying the finishing touches to preparations for the UEFA Executive Committee meeting, to be held here on Thursday and Friday.
UEFA's top brass, spearheaded by president Michel Platini, will convene at the Grand Hotel Excelsior to discuss a number of key subjects, including the Euro 2016 bidding process, the experiment with five match officials and Grassroots Day 2010.
Given that the Executive Committee is the most important organ within UEFA, its meetings always attract significant media interest and this week's gathering in Malta is no different.
Since the Malta FA are celebrating two milestones this year, the 100th anniversary of the first national league and the 50th anniversary of full membership to FIFA and UEFA, the presence of Platini and other top officials will surely put further gloss on the festivities.
Platini, one of the greatest players ever to grace the game, arrives this afternoon. The former France captain has been to Malta before but this will be his first official visit since his election as UEFA president three years ago to the day.
During his stay, Platini will preside over the inauguration of a new artificial turf pitch and floodlighting system at Pembroke, scheduled for tomorrow, and, together with his fellow Exco members, will attend a musical concert by Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja followed by a gala dinner at the Mediterranean Conference Centre on Thursday.
On Thursday morning, Platini and Gianni Infantino, UEFA's general secretary, will pay courtesy visits to Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and President George Abela.
Joe Mifsud, the MFA president, has been a UEFA Exco member since 1994. At the end of UEFA's 33rd Congress in Copenhagen last March, Dr Mifsud was appointed as one of five vice-presidents.
The two sessions of the UEFA meeting will take place on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.
Candidates for Euro 2016 - the first to feature 24 teams - are currently finalising their dossier bids which they will have to submit by February 15. UEFA are set to choose the hosts of Euro 2016 at the end of May.
The Executive Committee will also receive an update on the experiment involving five match officials which is being undertaken in matches of the 2009/10 Europa League.
The aim of this experiment is to see if the addition of two match officials, who are placed behind the goal-line, helps to curb refereeing errors, especially in the penalty area.
Also during this week's meeting, the Exco members will be briefed about the preparations for the 2010 UEFA Grassroots Day.
At its meeting in Bucharest last May, UEFA agreed that the run-up to the 2009/2010 Champions League final, to be played on a Saturday for the first time, should feature an event to celebrate grassroots football across Europe. The Wednesday before the final, May 19, has been designated as UEFA Grassroots Day.