The MFA has denied that any claims of alleged attempted bribery were made in the presence of its CEO, Bjorn Vassallo.

In a statement, the MFA said:

"We refer to reports that appeared in the local media regarding comments made by Mr Johann Said, President of Floriana FC, which comments were allegedly made in the presence of the MFA CEO, Mr Bjorn Vassallo.

"The article that appeared in The Times of 26th May, 2011 under the heading "Valletta FC president demands apology over claims of bribery " makes reference to comments made by the Floriana FC President, alleging that Mr Sciriha had approached Floriana FC committee members and players and offered them bribes to win the game. It was further stated that such comments were made in the presence of Mr Bjorn Vassallo.

"The MFA CEO would like to categorically deny that any such comments were ever made by Mr Johann Said in his presence, at any period before, during or after the match."

VALLETTA PRESIDENT'S REACTION

Valletta president Victor Sciriha in a statement clarified that Mr Vassallo never alluded to bribery allegations during their conversation prior to Sunday's FA Trophy final.

According to Mr Sciriha, the Malta FA CEO informed him that Johann Said, the president of Floriana FC, had told him before the final that if his club didn't win the FA Trophy, he would go straight to the police headquarters. The Valletta president stressed that he was prepared to confirm this under oath.