MFA head Mifsud to seek re-election

Joe Mifsud has set his sights on another three-year term as Malta FA president after announcing that he will stand for re-election.

Dr Mifsud, who has been at the helm of the Malta FA since 1992, told the association's council members on Thursday that he was willing to continue serving the local football family, in the process dispelling all the uncertainty about his intentions.

With the election for the top posts within the Malta FA scheduled for this summer, Dr Mifsud, 59, had previously kept everyone guessing amid reports that Norman Darmanin Demajo, who lost narrowly to the current incumbent in the last ballot three years ago, had stepped up his campaign.

The announcement by Dr Mifsud, who is also a long-standing member of the UEFA Executive Committee and one of the European football body's five vice-presidents, raises the prospect of another contest with Darmanin Demajo who is widely expected to make another bold attempt to become Malta FA president at the next annual general meeting.

Darmanin Demajo, the former Malta FA treasurer and current vice-president of Division Two club St Andrew's, is holding a news conference this morning to rebut the comments made by Dr Mifsud on Dissett, TVM's current affairs programme, last Tuesday.

Once regarded as close allies, Dr Mifsud and Darmanin Demajo have been on collision course since the latter stepped down as MFA treasurer in 2000 following a bitter row with the president.

Insiders have told The Times that other prominent MFA officials had been waiting for Dr Mifsud to declare his intentions before deciding on whether to pursue another term in their current position or vie for a different post.