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Dr Joe Mifsud, president Malta Football Association talks to Kevin Grech 
When did you start to get involved with the MFA?
When I was elected honorary secretary of Qrendi FC in the late 1960s, and was later elected the club’s president. Then in the early 1970s I was elected secretary and later the president of the Third Division Clubs standing committee. At that time I was also elected as one of three members representing the Third Division Clubs on the MFA council. In 1982 I was elected vice-president, later senior vice-president, and in 1992 was elected MFA president.
What is the main role of the MFA today?
The MFA has more than one important role. The MFA organises several competitions at national level (these include the national league, the national youth league, the national women’s league and the national Futsal league).
The MFA also regularly participates in international competitions both through its clubs and with its different national teams (‘A’, U/21, U/19, U/17, Women and Amateur). The MFA also caters for coach education and takes care of the preparation and education of referees. It also has a licensing role of its member clubs at different levels, including at UEFA level, of its football nurseries, of coaches, of referees and of players’ agents.
It also has a registering role in the case of those players who wish to play in domestic competitions and in clubs’ international competitions. Another very important role is that of keeping and maintaining its different sports facilities so that the various sporting activities may be held.
Is the MFA concerned about the demise of football in Malta?
I do not agree that football in Malta is dying. Football is still the most popular sport in Malta on all counts. It has the largest number of participating athletes and teams, the largest number of qualified coaches and referees and the largest number of football administrators. Domestic football boasts of the biggest number of football clubs and teams. All this accounts for more than all what all the other sports added together have. Football also has the largest number of sports venues and followers. If one only considers the number of those who follow Maltese football, domestic football has by far more following than all the other sports added together. This is also the case even when one takes into consideration those who attend at football matches, both where an entrance fee is charged and not.
If all this were to mean that domestic football is dying it also means that all the other sports taken together are dead and buried, which is surely not at all the case.
What are the major hurdles facing Maltese football?
The lack of professionalism in different aspects in our top football clubs and the mean support which all the clubs receive from the local industrial and commercial communities.
In the context of dismal appearances by Maltese clubs in European football competitions don’t you think importing high quality foreigners could be a solution to the problem?
To import high quality foreign players requires a lot of financial backing. Even if one or two local clubs may be able to do this, which is very doubtful since in the last few years we have not seen any such high quality players, a problem will be created in relation to the other clubs competing in the same division.
Should the MFA adopt a pro-active approach in exporting promising Maltese footballers to other European leagues?
The MFA may help as it has always done when its help was required, but it should not take a pro-active role since the players under contract belong to the clubs.
Do you agree on having a salary cap to keep clubs in a better position financially?
I agree with a salary cap but it’s a system that is not so easy to implement. In Malta we have a salary cap but I am doubtful whether all the clubs adhere to the system. However, in the last two years several clubs have been trying hard to implement it.
Do you agree on a camera to assist the referee?
No. Football is a game played by human beings for human beings and directed by human beings. All those participating in the game make mistakes, both the players and the match officials. Besides, the camera does not always resolve the problems that may arise during a match.
How can the MFA justify its restrictions on the number of players from the EU that a club can play at any one time when freedom of movement is one of the essential pillars of the EU?
The MFA does not restrict the number of players from the EU that may play. However, the MFA Council had wisely decided that in order to protect domestic football, at least eight players in the senior team must have been for at least three years in the domestic youth sector.
This sector is the basis of the future of the domestic game and without it, the domestic game will die a natural death in as much the same way that a nation will die if the families of such a nation decide not to have babies. Whether this protection of the domestic game goes against the EU right of freedom of movement will eventually have to be decided by the European Court of Justice in case that this matter is brought to a court of law. Even the EU Commission agrees with this.
Don’t the EU player restrictions hamper the growth of Maltese football in terms of spectacle and quality?
First of all, I did not see in recent years in our country any outstanding players who are citizens of other EU countries even if local clubs may field three players who need not come from the domestic youth sector. In actual fact, we have much more extra-community players in our clubs than players who are citizens of other EU countries.
Secondly, there are many EU countries, big and small, where there are no such restrictions at all, that would like to introduce similar restrictions. UEFA has already moved in this direction in so far as its competitions are concerned and this for the reason that it cares about the future of European football in the different member associations.
How is the MFA helping the clubs develop their youth nurseries?
The MFA has a system through which football nurseries are awarded a license every year. Football nurseries have to comply with the relative regulations, including technical ones. These include basing their work on a syllabus that is given by the MFA technical centre. MFA technical staff members regularly visit the football nurseries to check what kind of work is done. The MFA also organises annually a number of courses for youth football coaches. Furthermore, the MFA distributes annually around Lm70,000, provided to MFA by UEFA, to the football nurseries, the Youth FA, the Gozo Youth FA, and to those member clubs which have a youth team.
The national team has had a string of negative results. Performances are dismal and discourage supporters from attending the ground. Does the MFA have a plan to address this?
The MFA is presently working on such a plan. However, supporters must realise that because of the manner in which international competitions for National ‘A’ teams are organised, the small countries are grouped together with the medium and the bigger countries. In actual fact, although a seeding system exists, there are no ‘divisions’ in international football competitions for National ‘A’ teams. At any rate we do not wish that this will ever happen even if the big countries have been canvassing for such a system.
Furthermore, supporters have to realise that their support is very important to encourage the team during a match. This is actually what home advantage is really about. The MFA is working on a plan as how to encourage the Maltese to support the Maltese National ‘A’ Team, independently of who is the opponent.
Comparisons are odious but countries like Iceland, Cyprus, Finland and Norway, which up to a few years ago where at par with our footballing standard have overtaken us considerably. What are we doing wrong?
Most of the national team players of the countries you have mentioned are playing in foreign leagues where the standard of play and the level of competition is much higher than that in their own country. This explains why whilst at U/21 and youth levels our standards may be described as satisfactory in the circumstances, we fail to achieve good results at national ‘A’ team level.
Do national team players have the motivation to fight for a result?
On the whole yes. Most of the players who wear the national shirt do so with pride and with the required commitment to do well during the game. We have several good players who fight to achieve a positive result but unfortunately the level of competitiveness of the domestic competition hampers them from achieving the desired results. The executive committee had tried to make our top division more competitive by reducing the number of teams but unfortunately this proposal was turned down.
What was your motivation for voting against Liverpool’s participation in the Champions’ League on the UEFA executive?
The decision of the UEFA executive committee to include Liverpool’s participation was taken unanimously. Prior to the meeting of the executive committee I was not against Liverpool’s inclusion. However, I was against changing the regulations that were enacted by the executive committee prior to the start of season 2004/2005.
I was also preoccupied that third parties may suffer as a result of the inclusion of Liverpool FC. There were other members of the executive committee who had the same opinion. However, before taking the decision, it was ascertained that only one or two clubs may suffer minimally and that no other privileges, except that of granting exceptionally participation, would be given to Liverpool FC, or for that matter to other English Clubs.
What were your high and lowest points as president?
There were several high points and of course also some low points. I select as a point of high importance when in 1994 I was the first Maltese to be elected for the first time ever a member of the UEFA executive committee. Another high point was in the year 1998 when the representative of such a small football community by world and European standards was elected to represent the MFA in the FIFA executive committee. At domestic level, the inauguration of the centenary stadium in 1999 and the inauguration of the Millennium Stand in 2001 were also of high importance.
The lowest point was when after all I had done for Maltese football I was for no valid reason whatsoever most vehemently attacked publicly by persons who were very close to me in football. However, the slur campaign over a number of months in end turned out to be a high point when I finally decided to ask for a secret vote of confidence and an outstanding majority of the members of the MFA confirmed the confidence they had in me.
Are you tolerant to your critics?
Yes, provided that I perceive them to be genuine and do not have a hidden agenda.
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