A spate of bribery scandals have rocked Maltese football over the past 12 months but Joe Mifsud insisted yesterday that season 2008/09 was not all doom and gloom.
Addressing a news conference at Ta' Qali, the Malta FA president paid tribute to Valletta for reaching the second qualifying round of the Europa League after a 5-2 aggregate win over Keflavik.
"Sliema will open their Euro campaign tomorrow (today) but three of our clubs have already been in action," Dr Mifsud said.
"Hibs didn't fare so well in the Champions League but they had to contend with the toughest team in the first qualifying round (FC Mogren).
"It gives me immense satisfaction to comment on the achievement of Valletta. They won the first leg of their Europa League match against Keflavik 3-0 at home and then gained a prestigious 2-2 draw in the away tie.
"On behalf of the MFA, I congratulate Valletta for their achievement. I also hope they emulate their feat when they meet St Patrick's in the next stage of the competition.
"Birkirkara have also done well in the Europa League, especially when one considers the difficult circumstances surrounding the team's preparations.
"These positive results are a boost for our football at club level. They will help to improve Malta's position in UEFA's co-efficient rankings."
Dr Mifsud described season 2008/09 as a positive one with the latest attendance figures showing an average increase of over 26,000 compared with 2007/08.
Looking ahead to the new season, Dr Mifsud highlighted the main events on the MFA calendar. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first national championship, the MFA will hold a one-off competition, the National League 100th Anniversary Cup, which will be contested by all the 52 clubs in the MFA fold.
This season will also mark the 50th anniversary since the MFA became a full member of FIFA and UEFA.
UEFA meeting
The event likely to generate most interest is the meeting of UEFA's Executive Committee of which Dr Mifsud is a long-time member.
Michel Platini, the president of UEFA, and the other members of the Executive Committee will converge on Malta in January with Dr Mifsud also revealing that Sepp Blatter, the president of FIFA, has been invited to attend.
Dr Mifsud's tone changed when the focus of his speech turned to the plight of corruption.
"Needless to say that not everything was rosy last season as several cases related to bribery came to light," the MFA chief said.
"We have long been striving to combat this problem but at the start of last season, my colleagues and I were determined to intensify our efforts to tackle this malaise.
"At the last annual general meeting, I made it clear that the Malta FA would leave no stone unturned in its fight against bribery and my speech triggered an immediate reaction from the Minister of Justice and the Police Commissioner.
"It seems that some took my speech very seriously but for others, my warning fell on deaf ears as they persisted with their unlawful activities. However, some cases of corruption were exposed and solved last season and in most instances, the culprits pleaded guilty."
Two clubs, Marsaxlokk and Vittoriosa Stars, have been charged with breaking MFA regulations on corruption but the Board to Investigate Corrupt Practices has yet to rule on these cases.
Dr Mifsud is aware of on-going speculation about the sanctions the implicated clubs could face if found guilty, and the ramifications these would have on the composition of the leagues but he stressed that until such cases are thoroughly investigated and resolved, the MFA must proceed with its usual business, including the competitions draws.
Dr Mifsud insisted that sporting justice will be carried out as the MFA has the independent board and tribunals to handle such matters while new regulations to facilitate disciplinary procedures have also been implemented.
The MFA has also engaged the services of a lawyer, on a part-time basis, to strengthen its fight against corruption.
Dr Mifsud also announced yesterday that doping tests for domestic competitions will resume this season after the MFA had suspended doping control following the appeal of FIFA and WADA against the punishments the association handed to three players who tested positive for banned substances.