20:20 Vassallo re-elected President of the Malta FA
Bjorn Vassallo has been re-elected President of the Malta Football Association at the Ordinary General Assembly, taking place this evening at the Grand Hotel Excelsior.
A total of 69 votes were at stake with Vassallo securing a second four-year term at the helm of the Association with a remarkable total of 62 votes. Robert Micallef, the other candidate in the presidential election, received six votes.
Vassallo, 44, was first elected Malta FA President in 2019, succeeding Norman Darmanin Demajo who had been at the helm since 2010. A former Director for European Member Associations at FIFA, Vassallo has promised continuity and stability, having overseen the implementation of the first Malta FA Strategy for the period 2020-2024.
In his first reaction, Vassallo said: “The Association has always belonged to the Members and this vote ensures that this will continue to be the case.”
20:55 Maria Azzopardi elected Malta FA Vice-President
Maria Azzopardi has become the first woman in the history of Maltese football to be elected Vice-President of the Malta Football Association.
Dr Azzopardi, a former football player and administrator, received 34 votes in the election, held during the on-going Malta FA General Assembly. Christabelle Chetcuti and Dana Farrugia, the other two female candidates, collected 22 and 13 votes respectively.
“I’d like to thank you for the faith you’ve shown in me,” Dr Azzopardi said. “Credit to the other two valid candidates. My commitment is to work in the best interest of Maltese football.”
The vote to elect a female vice-president was held separately in accordance with the revised Malta FA statute which stipulates that, from 2024, one of three vice-president roles is to be filled by a female candidate.
This requisite is intended to increase female representation in the top echelons of the Malta Football Association, in the process encouraging more women to take up key positions at all levels of Maltese football.
21:52 Matthew Paris retains seat as Malta FA Vice-President
Dr Matthew Paris has retained his post as one of the three Malta FA vice presidents after receiving the highest number of votes - 59 - in today’s elections. Another round of voting is underway to determine the third elected candidate after Adrian Casha and Dr Peter Fenech collected the same number of votes - 19.
Dr Paris received a strong mandate from the General Assembly to continue serving as Vice President for another four-year term, having been elected for the first time in December 2016.
The other candidates for the vice-presidents’ election were Dr Samuel Azzopardi, who received 15 votes, Christabelle Chetcuti who gained 12 votes and Pierre Miceli who gathered five votes. Dana Farrugia withdrew from the race before the election.
Dr Maria Azzopardi was earlier voted in as the first-ever female Malta FA vice-president in a separate election open to female candidates only.
22:30 Adrian Casha re-elected Malta FA Vice-President
Adrian Casha has been re-elected as Malta FA Vice-President, securing the third seat for the period 2024-28.
Casha received 36 of the 66 valid votes to Dr Fenech’s 30 following a second ballot after the two candidates had gained the same number of votes - 19 - in the first election.
The other two elected candidates for the next four-year cycle are Dr Matthew Paris and Dr Maria Azzopardi.
Bjorn Vassallo was earlier re-elected as Malta FA Vice-President in the first election on the General Assembly’s agenda.
