Pippo Psaila, who resigned from the Malta Olympic Committee, will not say why he left but suggested he has a problem with the committee's running.

When contacted, he denied the resignation was linked in any way with the upcoming European Parliament elections in June.

"I'm not contesting the MEP elections and my resignation has nothing to do with that," he insisted.

Last year, Mr Psaila had unsuccessfully contested the general election for the first time on the Nationalist Party ticket, obtaining 90 votes on the ninth district and 383 on the 10th.

His resignation comes five months before the Games of the Small States of Europe that will be held in Cyprus in June. Mr Psaila was director of sport and his resignation was being viewed as a severe setback for the preparations of the Maltese athletes ahead of the Cyprus games.

"There's much to be said about the way things are run at the MOC but I will remain silent since I do not want to disturb the athletes' focus. I have great respect for the athletes and I would not like to compromise that. In due course, I will state clearly what I believe is wrong within the committee," Mr Psaila said.

In his resignation letter on Monday, Mr Psaila said he did not approve of the way the MOC was being managed, without delving into any details.

A telling omission in his statement was the name of current MOC president, Mr Justice Lino Farrugia Sacco. Mr Psaila mentioned by name former Malta Football Association president George Abela and former MOC president Gino Camilleri as two "exceptional people" he has worked with throughout his career.

The resignation was accepted by the MOC, which will, "in due course", issue a call for nominations for the vacated post.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com