Malta FA president Joe Mifsud yesterday hit back at Norman Darmanin Demajo over the latter's claims of irregularities in relation to the TV rights contract for the friendly match Bayern Munich played against a Maltese selection way back in 2001.
Darmanin Demajo, who will stand against Dr Mifsud in the next election for MFA president, told reporters on Saturday that the contract documents and the manner in which the MFA received the payment from German TV rights agency CWL, raised question marks about the behaviour of the MFA head in this transaction.
"Judging by what he said during the news conference on Saturday, Darmanin Demajo confirmed that he wants to confuse people's minds, that he considers himself to be a superior being, that he says a lot of contradictions and that in order to attack me, he's also prepared to undermine the Malta FA," Dr Mifsud told a news conference yesterday.
The bitter dispute between Darmanin Demajo and Dr Mifsud stretches back to 2000 when the two clashed over what the MFA president described as "unauthorised spending" by the former treasurer.
"Recently, I met someone - a person who is very reliable, otherwise I wouldn't have mentioned this episode - who told me that Darmanin Demajo had begun to wage his campaign against me months before we had our first disagreement," Dr Mifsud said.
Casting his mind back to the circumstances that prompted him to call an Extraordinary General Meeting in light of Darmanin Demajo's allegations 10 years ago, Dr Mifsud said: "In November 2000, I called an Extraordinary General Meeting to seek a vote of confidence. I was prepared to step aside if the members decided otherwise.
"At the time, the harm caused to the association by Darmanin Demajo's allegations was insurmountable. The majority of the members expressed their faith in me.
"When I asked the assembly if they wanted the MFA to cancel the contract for the Bayern Munich friendly, they replied 'no' because the association stood to gain from this match.
"The EGM's decision amounted to a vote of no confidence in Darmanin Demajo but he stayed put. He clung on to his title as MFA treasurer until the AGM of 2001 when he didn't put himself forward for re-election."
Dr Mifsud accused Darmanin Demajo of abusing his position as MFA treasurer as he obtained confidential contracts and "waved them in all corners of the globe".
"Darmanin Demajo even handed confidential documents to the News of the World," Dr Mifsud said.
According to Dr Mifsud, the bad press during that turbulent period caused great hardship to the association. He revealed that the MFA had received two letters from HSBC, the association's bank then, expressing concern over the potential repercussions the situation could have on its finances.
Switching his attention to the forthcoming election for MFA president, Dr Mifsud said: "I base my campaign on one slogan: 'The past is a mirror of the future'. My bid revolves around the promise of more hard work for the benefit of Maltese football but I have to say that I don't do this on my own. It's all about teamwork and all the officials give their contribution at all levels."
A long-standing member of the UEFA Executive Committee, Dr Mifsud said that he has always striven to bring honour to the MFA and the country through his work in international football.
The MFA head also made it known that Sepp Blatter, the president of FIFA, has a copy of four articles, published in local sports magazine Sportiv, accusing him of corruption.
"The FIFA president has a translated copy of four articles accusing him of corruption which appeared on Sportiv," Dr Mifsud, who is also a UEFA vice-president, said.
"Darmanin Demajo and Paul Falzon are the publishers of this magazine."
Dr Mifsud said his decision to stand for re-election as MFA president was influenced by his conviction that the MFA members would make the right choice.
"I have so much faith in the sound judgment of the officials that I decided to propose myself for another term as MFA president," Dr Mifsud said. "I have done my homework and I feel that I still enjoy the backing of the majority of the members."
"I can assure you that every cent that was due to the MFA has gone into the coffers of the MFA during my time as president," he added.
Fielding a series of questions about some points raised by Darmanin Demajo, namely the allegation made in a German publication that the TV rights money for the Bayern friendly was to be placed in a Trust account and doubts over the exact sum received by the MFA, Dr Mifsud insisted that the MFA has never had a Trust account.
"The MFA has never had Trust accounts, these only exist in the minds of Darmanin Demajo and his allies," Dr Mifsud said.
Dr Mifsud also clarified that the contract with CWL stipulated that the MFA was to get $250,000 in TV rights for the Bayern friendly match and not $300,000 as touted in some foreign publications. The payment was made to the MFA some months before the friendly took place in January 2001.
Bayern Munich's money-spinning friendly in Malta was linked to Germany's bid to stage the 2006 World Cup but Dr Mifsud, who was a member of the FIFA Executive Committee at the time, pointed out that South Africa and England, who were also in the running to host the 2006 World Cup, also played friendly matches in Malta in the lead-up to the FIFA vote.
Asked if Darmanin Demajo, who was still the MFA treasurer during that period, had been provided with the details of the contract, Dr Mifsud replied: "I didn't trust him (Darmanin Demajo). I ignored him because he was ignoring me. He wasn't made aware of these contracts. At the time, Darmanin Demajo had already started his campaign against me."