by The members of the Malta Football Association showed absolute faith in Bjorn Vassallo to continue to lead them as President until 2028. Dr Maria Azzopardi will be the only new face in the administration, elected as Vice President, replacing the departing Ludovico Micallef. Incumbent Vice President Dr Matthew Paris enjoyed increased support, while Adrian Casha retained his seat as well following a second count. Here is our recap from the night, with exclusive comments from the elects.
How The Voting Unfolded
The highly-anticipated General Assembly has resulted in a confirmation of Bjorn Vassallo as President of the Malta Football Association for the upcoming cycle between 2024 and 2028. The elected president will be supported by three Vice Presidents in: Dr Maria Azzopardi as the newly elected member, alongside the confirmation of incumbents Dr Matthew Paris and Adrian Casha.
Attending the event were Vice President of the UEFA and President of the FIGC, Gabriele Gravina, as well as FIFA Director Member Associations Europe, Elkhan Mammadov, both of whom addressed the Assembly on behalf of their entities.
A total of 69 votes were possible to be cast for each the three elections, i.e. the one to choose the President, choosing of the female Vice President and a final vote to elect the remaining two Vice Presidents. These 69 are the some of a vote from each of the fifty-three clubs, and a vote from each of the sixteen member associations.
The incumbent President won the election by 62 votes out of 68 eligible votes, with one null vote. Much was anticipated in relation to the election of the first female Vice President within the Malta Football Association. Dr Maria Azzopardi was elected to the position with close to 50% of the vote (34 out of 69 eligible votes) to continue her pioneering role in the sport. Christabelle Chetcuti came closest with 22 votes, while Dana Farrugia amassed 13 votes.
Dr Matthew Paris retained his place with aplomb, earning 59 votes out of 69 valid votes, and thus elected for another tenure providing continuation in the role. In doing so, Paris also added close to ten percent on his previous showing.
Adrian Casha and Dr Peter Fenech were tied with 19 votes in the first election, with a second vote called to separate the two. However, Adrian Casha retained the faith of the members in the second voting round, earning 36 out of the 66 valid votes cast. Following them were Dr Samuel Azzopardi who earned 15 votes, Christabelle Chetcuti (12), and Pierre Miceli (5). Dana Farrugia dropped out of the race following the female-specific election.
In this regard, Dr Maria Azzopardi became the only new addition to the line-up, replacing Ludovico Micallef who ended his long spanning career as Vice President, across 26 years. He was also inducted as Honorary Member of the Malta Football Association following years of work with the Association.
Addressing those present, Micallef said, “I’ve worked with four different Presidents, all of whom worked tirelessly to push the MFA forward. I want to thank the MFA, because as an architect, I had the opportunity to contribute to the building of the Millenium Stand, Tony Bezzina Stadium and more, which perhaps are unique opportunities that football provided to me as an architect. I’d like to thank everyone I have had the privilege to work with during my long involvement in Maltese football.”
He hailed a number of greats, including Tony Bezzina who he remarked was one of his biggest inspirations in the sport. Micallef hailed also Victor Tedesco and Charles Abela, among other greats who contributed to the game.
Vassallo: A Vote For Continuity
Addressing the General Assembly for the first time on his confirmed re-election, President Bjorn Vassallo announced, “The Association was of the members and with this vote it remains of the members. Thank you for your support and your confirmation of it in this General Assembly.”
Asked about the absolute support received by himself and of the previous administration through the re-election of the two incumbent Vice Presidents, Vassallo said, “I think this gives continuity and stability to the Association. I am grateful for all the candidates who put themselves forward in service of the association, both those elected and those were not.”
Vassallo also welcomed Dr Maria Azzopardi onboard, while thanking all candidates for contesting. “It was an intensive campaign where everyone tried their best and democracy has spoken through its members who have been clear in their message”, he concluded.
Speaking about the electoral campaign, Vassallo continued, “It was a short but intense campaign. I focused a lot on the objectives, the positives and the targets that we set in 2019 and that we hope to achieve in the coming years. I think we need to focus more on the positives as something that could connect us all, so that Maltese football can continue to progress.”
Looking ahead, he said, “In the coming years it’s important to focus on the things that we may need to improve and to consolidate the things that are working well. I think the strong mandate I’ve been given gives me even more responsibility and that members will expect even more from me. However, I promise to be close to the members and to work to keep pushing Maltese football forward along with my colleagues.”
One of the most mentioned aspects throughout the campaign was the need for improved communication, both with members but also with external stakeholders of the game. Vassallo acknowledged that this is something the Association struggled with but is also seeking to improve, “Certainly, the pandemic did not help us because we were the only country in Europe that stopped football for two years, which already puts you in a difficult situation to do work and to show it. Despite this, we still managed to achieve a good percentage of our Strategy, but perhaps this was not as visible to those external to the Association.”
Looking ahead, he concluded, “I think if we want to communicate better, we must have more visibility on the different media, but we must also listen more because this is also crucial. This is important so that this mandate satisfies the expectations of our members and the general public who follows the sport.”
Azzopardi Humble But Unfazed By Breakout Role
Upon election, the lawyer and former national team player, Dr Maria Azzopardi, addressed the Assembly, “Thank you for support. I thank also the candidates who were in the running for their work. I am determined to work for the good of football, and the good of the members. Thanks again, and Forza Football!”
Having climbed through the different levels of the sport, from a player to club administration, and also having been active at regulatory levels, Dr Maria Azzopardi expressed her enthusiasm to work in this new role of Vice President. She said, “I’m honoured to be a part of the Malta Football Association and to represent members at this level. To have received such a big support from the members is something I certainly cherish.”
Asked whether she feels any extra pressure as the first woman to hold this role, Dr Azzopardi was steadfast in her reply, “Not really, I will be a Vice President in the same way and with the same responsibilities as the others. I am looking forward to work with the elected Vice Presidents, because man or woman, in the end you have the same duties toward the Association and its members.”
Paris: “Football Is Alive & We Can Take It Further”
Dr Paris expressed the rewarding feeling of the increased confidence that the members showed in him, “The last legislature was difficult and when a member votes for you as an incumbent it shows that they support your work and that in this case they understood our difficulties, some of which could not be anticipated. Despite all of this, football kept growing.”
Dr Paris nodded to the demands of the job, “While getting elected is a moment of joy, it also reflects that if there’s anyone that loses in these scenarios are your family. We spend a lot of time away from our families, working in Ta Qali and with clubs, so I must also thank my family for their continuous support.”
He continued, “We must now look forward, because what we have done is important, but what we are going to do is even more so. The strong mandate gives us support but also added responsibility. The President has clear objectives. My loyalty to him has been there and will stay there as we work toward these objectives. So, I will be working closely with the President, but also at the disposition of our members and Maltese football.”
Concluding with a note on the perception of Maltese football, Dr Paris said, “It is clear that there are plenty who are involved and who want to be involved in the game, and it is our duty to look at the positives because at times we miss this. I think at times we focus more on the negatives, which is not a true reflection of our game. So, I hope that in these coming years we can focus more on the positives. Football is alive, there is good participation and if we work together I believe we can take it even further.”
Casha: Tested But Unwavering In Commitment
Despite having had a more testing path to re-election, Adrian Casha expressed his joy in re-election, “I’m very proud and I am positive because this means that as from tomorrow I must lift my sleeves once more to be at service to our members.”
Looking at the future targets, Casha continued, “My motto in this campaign was to be always close to the members. The chair is only lent to me and so I have a responsibility to do my duties together with the rest of the administrative team to support the President, Bjorn Vassallo, in improving the technical aspects, infrastructures and continue investing in our grassroots to increase participation of boys and girls and have a pathway for them to grow into elite levels.”
The elects will have little time for celebration as the work begins immediately toward delivering the strategy over the next four years.
Lead Image: MFA
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