MFA set to opt for Italian coach as Fitzel stays put

The Malta FA are no closer to appointing a new national coach after Dusan Fitzel decided to remain in his post as technical director of the Czech FA.

Fitzel had been earmarked as the first-choice candidate for the Malta job by the MFA’s top brass on the back of his positive impact on the national team during his previous spell between 2006 and 2009.

The Czech initially indicated that he could be interested in taking charge of Malta for the second time but requested time to consider his options.

“He (Fitzel) wanted time to think about it (the proposal to become Malta coach), because he wanted to clarify his position with Czech FA,” president Norman Darmanin Demajo told the MFA council members yesterday.

“I’ve been informed that Fitzel told Bjorn Vassallo (MFA CEO) that he wants to keep working for the Czech FA. This takes us back to the drawing board.”

Vassallo said that Fitzel was torn between his willingness to return as Malta coach and his desire to see through the initiatives he’s implementing to boost Czech football.

“Fitzel met the president of the Czech FA not once but twice to discuss the matter,” Vassallo said.

“The Czech FA left it to Fitzel to decide on his own future but told him that his departure would potentially have repercussions on Czech football as he was doing a lot of work to improve the level.

“Fitzel told me: ‘Unfortunately, I have to tell you that, at present, I’m not available to coach the national team’,” Vassallo said.

With Fitzel out of the equation, the MFA are now expected to assess the credentials of the 35-odd coaches who have applied for the job.

The list includes some high-profile names like Antonio Cabrini, Francesco Graziani, Sammy Lee, Giancarlo Camolese and Marius Lacatus but it is believed that the MFA’s top officials are leaning towards appointing an Italian coach.

This in light of the fact that Luca Pagani, the national teams’ physical trainer, is Italian and Argentine-born Sergio Soldano, who has been employed full-time to oversee the development of the country’s brightest prospects, has been working in Italy for several years.

It is believed that former Torino coach Camolese is the front-runner for the job.

The MFA have been searching for a new coach after ending the contract of John Buttigieg last October.

Last week, Buttigieg and his assistant, Carmel Busuttil, lodged a judicial protest in court against their dismissal and called on the MFA to pay them half their salary until the end of their contract which was due to run out in June 2014.

Their decision to take the MFA to court has landed them in hot water as the actions of Buttigieg and Busuttil “were in breach of the association’s regulations”.

While expressing his astonishment at the decision of the two coaches to file a judicial protest against the MFA, Darmanin Demajo said that the MFA statute, in accordance with FIFA regulations, forbids members of the football community from taking legal action against the association.

The MFA president earlier explained that the two parties had held a series of cordial meetings about the compensation issue for the two coaches and that, according to a draft agreement prepared by Buttigieg and Busuttil, the MFA had until Jan. 31 to effect the payment.

Vassallo said that, at a FIFA meeting held earlier this week in Vienna, it was confirmed that the rule prohibiting members of the football family from instituting legal action on football matters, was valid and legal.

“FIFA reserve the right to take action against a member association if the latter fails to apply its rules,” Darmanin Demajo added.

“We have to observe the rules. We had already signed the cheques (compensation payment for Buttigieg and Busuttil) but we wanted to wait, also to seek guidance from the council.”

Although talks between Chris Bonett, the head of the MFA’s legal department, and Buttigieg and Busuttil are on-going, the MFA council yesterday agreed that their actions constituted a breach of the association’s regulations.

As the MFA’s statute decrees that persons who take the association to court “shall cease to be members of the association”, the council decided to suspend Buttigieg and Busuttil. The MFA will not pay compensation to the two coaches and will only consider their reinstatement once they had withdrawn their judicial protest.

It was also announced that Valletta president Victor Sciriha had dropped his lawsuit against AS Hibernians after the two parties reached an agreement over their financial dispute.

The MFA council also approved a recommendation by the Executive Committee to appoint an independent commission to investigate claims that TV rights money, owed to the association in relation to the Malta-England friendly in 2000, never reached the MFA.

This long-standing issue resurfaced last week when Darmanin Demajo was testifying in a libel case instituted against him by former MFA president Joe Mifsud.

Darmanin Demajo told the council that he had asked the association to probe this matter when he was still treasurer of the MFA before a bitter feud with Dr Mifsud led the current MFA head to step down.

“My questions have remained unanswered,” Darmanin Demajo said. “This is the crux of the argument. It’s not right that now that I’ve been elected president, we should forget these issues.”

Meanwhile, Darmanin Demajo presented a memento to Anthony Zarb, the manager of the Centenary Stadium, in recognition of his outstanding service.

Zarb was recently named 2011 Green Keeper of the Year by renowned artificial turf producer Polytan after the pitch of the Centenary Stadium attained a FIFA two-star certification for the fifth year running.

Transfer prohibition

Premier League club Marsaxlokk have been warned that they will be deducted six points if they fail to settle outstanding payments to Rumen Galabov, Sunday Eboh and Obinna Obiefule by March 1.

The Malta FA imposed a transfer prohibition on Ħamrun Spartans after they failed to settle their dues with former players Martin Hrubsa and Peter Anizoba.

The MFA technical centre, led by Robert Gatt, has invited former Italy coach Arrigo Sacchi, Pietro Ghedin and Chris Ramsey, a reserve team coach at Tottenham, to give talks to Maltese coaches.

English goalkeeper Matthew Towns, currently on the books of Valletta, has written to the MFA claiming that he had not been given a bonus promised to him by Floriana. As Towns was registered as an amateur with Floriana, he was not entitled to any financial remuneration. The case has been referred to the MFA Board of Inquiry.

Tarxien wing-back Karl Sammut has been suspended indefinitely by the MFA Executive Committee after he returned a positive dope test after the Premier League match against Ħamrun Spartans in December.

Steve Gatt, of Gżira, has been hit with a two-year ban after he refused to take a dope test after a league match against Żebbuġ Rangers.

It was also revealed yesterday that Darmanin Demajo has been appointed member of the FIFA’s player status board.