Paul Falzon, the president of Premier League club St Andrew’s, will fill the seat vacated by Redeno Apap, the former Qormi official, on the MFA’s Executive Committee (Exco) for the remainder of the season.
Falzon was the only candidate for the Exco post after Adrian Delia, the president of Birkirkara, informed the Malta FA that he was withdrawing his nomination.
A popular figure in local football circles, Falzon was elected by acclamation during yesterday’s MFA Council meeting.
Meanwhile, Bjorn Vassallo, the MFA general secretary, told the assembly yesterday that the association’s prosecuting officer has concluded that no action should be taken in connection with allegations that a St Andrew’s player was approached to throw the first-round game against Naxxar Lions on October 31. Naxxar won 2-1.
“After completing his investigations into the case, the MFA prosecuting officer concluded that the alleged approach hadn’t materialised and therefore no violation of MFA regulations took place,” Vassallo said.
It also emerged yesterday that a Balzan player has been reprimanded by the MFA after he unknowingly took a prohibited substance to treat a medical condition.
The player, who has not been named, was also suspended for 28 days by the Premier League club.
Two other players have been suspended temporarily after testing positive for doping.
The tests were carried out after the Division Two game between Mellieħa and Mġarr United and the Youth KO clash between Valletta and Vittoriosa Stars.
Vassallo also spoke about reports that Luqa St Andrew’s player Samba Camara spent some time in coma after an incident during last weekend’s Division Three game against Mtarfa at the Mosta Ground.
The MFA general secretary said the ambulance took between six to seven minutes to enter the stadium but in the meantime, Camara had been attended to by the nurse on duty at the match venue.
“Camara temporarily lost his senses after suffering concussion but he was not in coma,” Vassallo said. “The player was released from hospital on Monday evening.”
Birkirkara left-back Joseph Zerafa has had his three-match suspension in the FA Trophy reduced to two on appeal.
Zerafa had been suspended for three games after being given a straight red card for lashing out at Valletta’s Romeu Romao in the dying stages of Birkirkara’s 1-0 win on January 20.
The initial suspension would have ruled Zerafa out of the remainder of the cup competition but the reduced ban means that the Malta wing-back would be eligible to play in the final if Birkirkara advance to the May 14 showdown.
The Stripes meet Floriana in the quarter-finals on April 20.