MFA president Norman Darmanin Demajo has defended referee Esther Azzopardi after a controversial decision which saw her sending off Floriana’s goalkeeper for a foul outside the penalty area last weekend.

In a Facebook post Mr Darmanin Demajo said the decision was perceived to be mistaken by the absolute majority of football followers in Malta, including himself.

But following clarification sought by the UEFA Referees Committee, he had confirmed that the decision by the referee was the correct one, since, at the moment of the incident, a goal-scoring opportunity was denied.

“The factors that come into play to decide whether it is a goal scoring opportunity are the following: (a) the distance between the offence and the goal; (b) the likelihood of keeping and gaining control of the ball; (c) the direction of play and (d) the location and number of defenders.

“The decision is supported by the fact that the attacking player could have shot directly at goal or he had two on-side team mates to pass to

Mr Darmanin Demajo said that in assessing the situation, based on the photo which was taken at the exact second that the referee whistled for the foul, the following additional comments were made by the member of the UEFA referees committee:

“The decision is supported by the fact that the attacking player could have shot directly at goal or he had two on-side team mates to pass to.

“Although there were two defenders in front of him, they could not use their hands, so it would not have been easy for them to block a strong shot, especially if it was not along the ground. Thus, an obvious opportunity to score a goal existed (and was taken away). I would say that the decision is 75% correct.”

In plain English, Mr Darmanin Demajo said, Esther Azzopardi had nailed it and he apologised for having harboured doubted about her decision.