The Malta Football Association has just reached an agreement with FXDD to sponsor the national teams for the coming years, president Norman Darmanin Demajo announced during the governing body’s annual general meeting at the Westin Dragonara Resort, yesterday.

FXDD Malta Ltd, who already sponsor the Malta Referees Association, held talks with high-ranking officials from the association earlier this month, Darmanin Demajo said, and an agreement was reached for the online trading company to sport its logo on the national team shirts.

“I am delighted to announce that after almost 15 years our national teams will again be sponsored,” Darmanin Demajo told club members and delegates.

“FXDD had already been involved in our competitions by sponsoring the kits of the Malta Referees Association. Last month, we got engaged in talks and during our discussion I pointed out that we were seeking a company to sponsor the national team.

“The FXDD officials quickly made it clear that they were interested in supporting the national teams and after just one week of consultation they sent us confirmation that they were ready to sign the deal.”

This sponsorship agreement comes just a few weeks after another partner of the Malta FA, Bank of Valletta, had agreed to extend their backing of the national leagues for another three years.

“The ambitious projects being taken by the Malta FA seem to be leaving the desired effects with a number of firms now showing interest in helping us developing football in Malta,” Darmanin Demajo said.

“Apart from the FXDD agree-ment, in the past weeks we also had Bank of Valletta extending their financial partnership with the Malta Football Association by another three years.

“This shows that our game is generating a lot of interest from various entities and, hopefully, more companies will approach us to invest in our sport.”

During his speech, the MFA president repeatedly urged clubs to move out of comfort zones and take calculated risks to push the level of professionalism in their set-ups to a higher step.

“In the past 12 months, the MFA has taken an aggressive approach to promote the game and boost Maltese football,” he said.

“We have forked out millions of euros to upgrade facilities in different parts of the islands, making them more accessible for people to watch football matches.

“The MFA has a list of marketing plans to adopt as we want to generate more funds to pass on to our clubs.

“Now that most of our teams have adequate training pitches, it’s the clubs’ own responsibility to get out of their comfort zone and seek innovative ways how to market their facilities and make some profit.

“If we want to see our football going forward, clubs must be ready to take risks.”

The Malta FA president then warned clubs to avoid false financial statements to regulate their position at the end of the season.

“Clubs have to face the reality and make sure that they balance their books according to the rules before applying for a licence. False statements are a thing of the past,” he said.

“If a club cannot afford to run a team in a particular division, then move down to a lower category where financial demands are far less demanding. Clubs need to run on real profit. If not, they can never aspire for ambitious goals in future.”

The MFA president also found time to deliver a stern warning to those fans who are hampering the Maltese game with their violent behaviour.

“Violence will not be tolerated in our stadiums,” Darmanin Demajo told club delegates.

“It’s the responsibility of each club to take care of their respective supporters. You know who are the ones causing trouble. So, it’s your responsibility to make sure that they behave well.

“We want a family atmosphere at our football grounds. We want safe venues for people to come and watch their favourite sport.”

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