Consultation process on sporting and regulatory matters

The Malta Football Association is launching a consultation process with the main stakeholders to discuss proposals on the youth competitions, a charter on the proposed introduction of a professional club in the Italian league, and matters related to the status and registration of players. This process follows months of discussions involving the Professional Football Committee, the Social Dialogue Committee and the Malta FA administration in the context of the Association’s technical projects and directions issued by FIFA to the Malta FA. The outcomes of these discussions were presented to the members of the Malta FA’s Executive Committee during a meeting held at the Centenary Hall yesterday. The proposals are primarily intended to improve the competitive aspect of the leagues at youth level with the discussions focusing on ways to enhance youth development while increasing playing opportunities for young homegrown players. The introduction of squad list quotas and revisions to the players’ registration criteria are the key points emanating from the discussions of the Social Dialogue Committee and the Professional Football Committee meetings. The proposed amendments are also intended to ensure long-term stability in the development path and to mitigate the impact of the professional football team project on Maltese clubs. The proposed charter sets out clear guidelines on the compensation and solidarity mechanisms for player transfers, both incoming and outgoing, a development fund and a series of safeguards to protect the interests of the clubs. Malta FA President Bjorn Vassallo said that the Association is initiating a consultation process with different stakeholders with a series of meetings with representatives of clubs in the different categories scheduled to take place in the coming weeks. “The aim is to embark on a complete technical overhaul that will put Maltese football at a par with other football realities that have made significant progress in recent years through professionalism,” Vassallo said. “This is not only a radical change to the system for the Malta FA but for the whole sporting movement in the country.” Other reforms, notably in the areas of club licensing and the Malta FA statute, are also being studied in parallel with the envisaged technical changes. TECHNICAL SECTOR AND NATIONAL TEAMS At yesterday’s Exco meeting, Devis Mangia, the Head Coach of the National Teams, explained his vision and plans, renewing his appeal for a collective and unified approach for the benefit not only of the national teams but Maltese football in general. Mangia will be assisted by a group of experienced coaches as the members of his technical staff have been confirmed. Davide Mazzotta, who has worked with Mangia at several clubs and was also part of Antonio Conte’s coaching team at Chelsea, and Guillermo Giacomazzi have been appointed assistant coaches of the senior national team. Giacomazzi spent most of his playing career with Italian club US Lecce and represented Uruguay at international level. Alessandro Zinnari has taken up the role of technical co-ordinator of all the national team selections. The Malta FA is in the process of recruiting a Maltese coach as Head of Football Development who will be overseeing the implementation of the defined game philosophy of the Technical Centre as part of the grassroots to the youth development pathway strategy. As part of the new approach for the national teams, the Malta FA has appointed four former players as team managers of the national selections from the U-17s to the senior team. The team managers are Keith Fenech, who has played for a number of clubs namely Valletta, Birkirkara, Qormi, Pietà Hotspurs, Rabat Ajax and Mellieħa, and former national team players David Camilleri, Edwin Camilleri and Charles Scerri with the latter two having already been part of the Malta FA technical set-up. David Camilleri, who spent most of his playing career with Ħamrun Spartans, has played 35 times for Malta. Edwin Camilleri and Charles Scerri, both former Hibernians players, have made 50 and 65 appearances for the national team respectively. Other appointments for the professional football club will be made in due course.