Revised bonuses to be announced next week

Norman Darmanin Demajo is expected to spell out the revised match appearance fees and performance bonuses for Malta players during a meeting with the members of the national squad early next week.

Last month, the Malta FA president told the players that after Malta’s home friendly international against Switzerland, which took place last Wednesday, they will no longer receive financial allowance for training at Ta’ Qali.

Darmanin Demajo shed light on the reasons behind the MFA’s decision in an article he wrote in the MFA Review magazine, published on January 29.

Under the headline ‘No passion... no party’, Darmanin De-majo urged the players not to consider the national team “as another part-time job”.

“It’s about wearing your Malta shirt with pride and passion; it’s about making sacrifices and being ready to play your heart out for your country; it’s about believing that, despite the odds, with commitment, dedication, discipline and hard work, you can achieve results and earn the respect of your more-quoted opponents,” the Malta FA president wrote.

“It’s not about money, it’s not about training allowances.”

The Malta FA’s decision to abolish the training allowance scheme didn’t go down well with the majority of the players who also took issue with some of Darmanin Demajo’s comments as, in their eyes, these might have conveyed the impression that they were not showing enough commitment.

Reports in the last two days claimed the players had signed a petition urging the MFA president to reconsider the decision to stop payment of training allowances.

Sources told The Times that, after discussing the issue, the players agreed to write a letter, not a petition, to Darmanin Demajo.

It is believed that in their letter, the players expressed their collective views on the matter and stressed that they’ve always represented the country with pride and passion.

The sources, meanwhile, added that the meeting, to be held on Monday or Tuesday, was already planned before the players had sent their letter to the MFA.

The association’s top brass are still in the process of establishing the new match fees and bonuses but Darmanin Demajo promised a significant increase.

“Perform at your peak and you will be rewarded for your efforts – we have no problem with paying good bonuses but this (will apply) only for points gained and results achieved,” Darmanin Demajo wrote in the MFA Review.

Fears that the issue might impact on the team’s performance for last week’s friendly against Switzerland were emphatically swept away as Malta produced a gallant display in a creditable goalless draw.