Malta FA president Norman Darmanin Demajo will seek a vote of confidence at the association’s Annual General Meeting on Saturday.

Darmanin Demajo is uncontested for a third thee-year term at the helm of the local governing body of football but he will be asking the assembly to endorse his candidature in a secret ballot at the Excelsior Hotel.

Contacted by Times of Malta yesterday evening, Darmanin Demajo confirmed his intention to pursue a vote of confidence.

“I don’t want it to be Hobson’s choice,” Darmanin Demajo said.

“Since there are no other candidates, I want to give the assembly the opportunity to give me the mandate to continue as Malta FA president. This is very important for me.”

Darmanin Demajo has been leading the MFA since 2010 when he unseated long-standing incumbent Joe Mifsud in a tense vote.

Three years ago, Peter Fenech, who served as MFA vice-president in the final years of Dr Mifsud’s tenure, challenged Darmanin Demajo for the presidency but his bid ended in disappointment.

Darmanin Demajo won the election hands down, polling 117 votes to Dr Fenech’s 23.

This is the first time in the last 12 years that there is only one contender for the Malta FA presidency.

In 2004, Joe Caruana Curran, the former Valletta FC president and current head of the Aquatic Sport Association, was beaten by Dr Mifsud who, three years later, retained his post after seeing off the challenge of Darmanin Demajo by a narrow margin.

The roles were reversed in 2010 when Darmanin Demajo finally succeeded in ending Dr Mifsud’s 18-year reign at the helm of the Malta FA.

While the vote of confidence is expected to be a formality for Darmanin Demajo, who still enjoys the backing of the vast majority of the Malta FA council members and delegates, the election for the three vice-president seats is expected to be a tight affair.

Chris Bonett, Alex Manfrè and Ludovico Micallef, the three serving vice-presidents, are looking to secure another three-year term but face competition from two new candidates, Victor Cassar and Angelo Chetcuti.

The five nominees for the vice-presidents’ election are familiar names in local football circles.

Dr Bonett, who also heads the association’s legal department, has been an influential figure at the MFA under Darmanin Demajo, Manfrè is one of the most experienced administrators in local football, having also occupied the post of treasurer in the past, and Micallef, an architect, has been a key player in the association’s infrastructural projects, both at national and club level.

Cassar has attained a 360-degree football experience through his involvement with Ħamrun Spartans for 22 years while Dr Chetcuti, the vice-president of Division Two club Birżebbuġa, is held in high esteem for his thoughtful observations and no non-sense approach.

Ivan Mizzi, the MFA treasurer, is uncontested for his post.

The nominations for the Malta FA elections closed on July 11 and all the candidates have ben approved by the electoral commission.

Apart from the election of the three vice-presidents, two other ballots will be held during Saturday’s AGM, one to elect two members on the Executive Committee in representation of clubs overall and the other for the two Exco seats allocated to representatives of member associations.

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