[attach id=266932 size="medium"]Peter Busuttil[/attach]
Peter Busuttil’s decision to run for Malta FA vice-president was met with a few raised eyebrows but the Birkirkara official, better known for his involvement in the local theatre and film industry, believes that he can ‘rebrand’ Maltese football if he is successful in Saturday’s election.
Busuttil knows that he faces a tall order to secure one of three vice-presidential posts as he is up against five strong candidates.
Carmelo Bartolo, Alex Manfrè and Ludovigo Micallef, the three serving vice-presidents, have been infuential figures in the MFA hierarchy for several years, Donald Spiteri is the president of the local futsal association and a long-standing member of the MFA Executive Com-mittee, and Chris Bonett is the head of the association’s legal department.
Nevertheless, Busuttil identified the challenge to alter the negative perception of Maltese football as one of the key reasons behind his decision to throw his hat in the ring.
“The public’s perception of Maltese football is not good,” Busuttil said during an informal meeting with journalists.
“I’m willing to offer my expertise in promotion and marketing to try and increase the popularity of our game.
“There’s a need to target women and children. Unfortunately, the environment in most of our stadia does little to encourage entire families to follow local teams.”
Busuttil made it clear yesterday that he’s not contesting the election as the sidekick to one of the two presidential candidates, namely Norman Darmanin Demajo, the current incumbent, and Peter Fenech.
“I want to address speculation that I might be in favour of one of the two candidates for the election of Malta FA president,” Busuttil said.
“The only thing I’m in favour of is continuation but I’m not carrying the flag for one of the two candidates.
“I acknowledge that the current administration have done a lot of good work but a series of new initiatives are needed.
“We need a sense of rebranding. In the last few years, some of the changes I’d have liked to see didn’t materialise.
“I believe I can contribute together with the other officials. I have a passion for football.
“During the time I was living in Italy, my residence was a stone’s throw away from the San Siro.
“At the time, I was not that keen on soccer and I used to invite my friends over when I had tickets for important games but my return to Malta has rekindled my love for the local game.”