The Malta Football Association is not aware of any allegations of child sexual misconduct by Bob Higgins during the English coach's spell as MFA youth development officer in the early 1990s.

Higgins has been implicated in a sex abuse scandal in the UK after at least six former players accused him of sexual misconduct during his time with Southampton Football Club.

Addressing a news conference this afternoon, MFA President Norman Darmanin Demajo gave a detailed timeline of the events related to Higgins’s employment with the MFA and urged anyone who may have been victim of sexual abuse in football to come forward.

Flanking Darmanin Demajo was Andrew Azzopardi who, since September last year, has occupied the post of MFA safeguarding officer, having had previous experience in this area with the English FA.

Azzopardi told reporters that anyone who had information on child abuse should call the 179 helpline or use the internet based service www.kellimni.com.

On Higgins’s time with the MFA, Darmanin Demajo said that the coach was first appointed as youth development officer in July 1989 but in January 1990, President Emeritus George Abela, who was then MFA president, and Fr Hilary Tagliaferro, who was the head of the technical centre, visited Higgins at his home in the UK after they became aware of an article which appeared in The Daily Mirror claiming that Higgins was assisting the police in allegations of sexual misconduct with children.

President Abela and Fr Hillary had informed Higgins that they were suspending him from his position in the MFA pending the outcome of the court case.

In January 1992, two years after his suspension, Higgins was found not guilty of the charges brought against him and was eventually reemployed as national youth development officer.

In March 1994, Higgins submitted a letter of resignation from his post and it was accepted by the MFA executive committee, who stuck to their decision even after Higgins requested to be reinstated after retracting his resignation.

On his part, Mr Azzopardi explained that since his appointment with the MFA, the association had been vetting every person who passed through the technical centre. It also conducted safeguarding sessions during the courses.

Mr Azzopardi was also replicating this exercise with the clubs and thanked all those who sent him information about all the coaches and people involved in their youth sector.

The MFA safeguarding officer said he was “shocked but not surprised” by the extent of the child abuse scandal in England.

He reiterated Darmanin Demajo’s appeal for anyone with information on child abuse to come forward.