Malta FA mourning passing of Paul Bonett

The Maltese football community is grieving the passing of former international referee Paul Bonett. He was 88.  Regarded as one of the leading Maltese referees of the sixties and seventies, Bonett was also one of the first Maltese match officials to form part of the FIFA Panel. He became a FIFA referee in 1961 at the age of 30. Apart from controlling over 700 competitive domestic matches during his successful refereeing career, Bonett also officiated several international matches, including the 1978 World Cup qualifying game between England and Luxembourg at Wembley Stadium. England won the match, played on 30th March 1977, 5-0. During that period, Bonett had also been shortlisted for the 1978 World Cup tournament, played in Argentina. For many years, Bonett also served as president of the Malta Football Referees Association. His funeral will take place on Saturday at the St Publius Parish Church, Floriana. Mass starts at 9 a.m. The Malta FA extends its profound condolences to the family and relatives of Paul Bonett during this difficult time.