MFA presidential candidate Bjorn Vassallo has put forward an eight-year plan aimed at taking Maltese football to a higher level, basing his campaign on a good administration and a solid sporting structure.
Vassallo, who is currently the FIFA Director of Europe, yesterday faced the media for the first time since putting his name forward to replace outgoing MFA president Norman Darmanin Demajo in an election penciled for the governing body’s AGM on July 20.
The former MFA CEO and general secretary is facing the challenge of Dr Chris Bonett, a former colleague at the MFA in the capacity of vice-president.
Vassallo said that he is aware of the challenge awaiting him to succeed Darmanin Demajo as MFA president but feels that his experience and expertise at FIFA has enabled him to present himself with the right baggage.
“I have been involved in football administration for many years, both at club level and in the association and I feel that I have gained a lot of experience,” Vassallo said.
“When in 2016 I moved to FIFA it was not an easy situation as the world governing body was under intense pressure but under the stewardship of Gianni Infantino we worked with a positive mindset and we managed to fulfil all the promises we made.
“That experience at FIFA has helped me to come for this election with a bag full of experience and a lot of contacts that will surely help me to provide a brighter future to Maltese football if I am elected as president.”
With the MFA presidential term to be increased from three to four years in next month’s AGM, Vassallo said that he is presenting himself with a strategic plan, named Vision 2027, which is an eight-year plan aimed at improving Maltese football in all the facets of the game.
“My work will be split into two elements. The sporting element will be measured on the success achieved by the national teams and improvement in the club’s co-efficient ranking through better results in European competitions for the top clubs,” Vassallo said.
“On the other hand, there is the administrative side which aims at good governance both at club level and more importantly on the association level where we need to enter into a new era of business development that will help us to generate more financial funds that will be redirected to the clubs so they can continue to develop.
“For me football is more than just a game and through this vision I see a generation of benefits garnered through our clubs serving as a daily source of football development, character formation and civil engagement starting from the grassroots level, with a long term legacy on the local community.”
The former MFA general secretary said that his strategy is based on 11 pillars that cater for all areas of the Beautiful Game in Malta.
He said that under his presidency, the MFA structure will be changed, highlighting a forwardlooking structure and introducing special purpose vehicles in order to raise capital through MFA Finance Plus as part of a clearer financing strategy.
Vassallo revealed huge infrastructure plans that will see the Ta’ Qali National Stadium facing a complete redevelopment project.
In fact, he is planning to transform the National Stadium into a 10,000-capacity venue that will also have safe-standing areas.
“My goal is to turn the national stadium into a modern Category 4 stadium where the current athletics track will be abolished and the fans will be positioned much closer to the playing area,” Vassallo said.
“We need to make sure that the National Stadium will have the facilities to provide football fans with the opportunity to enjoy their day at the stadium with their families.
“There are also plans for Gozo. We will provide support to the GFA in the up-keep of the Gozo Stadium with a yearly fund and we have also plans to redevelop the Sannat Ground so it can act as a secondary stadium on the sister island.”
Vassallo said that he is also planning to redevelop the MFA Technical Centre at Ta’ Qali with new facilities, a Sports Science Lab and also build a small spectators’ stand that will enable fans to watch the matches of the youth national teams being played there.
Regional hubs
The former MFA CEO said that he is keen to take the grass roots sector outside Ta’ Qali and in fact he wants to create three regional hubs, in the heart of where the youngsters enjoy themselves, to try and attract them to the Beautiful Game.
“It’s my intention to create the Inħobb il-Football Foundation and our goal will be to try and reorganise football at youth and grassroots level in sync with the associations’ strategy in this area,” he said.
“We will introduce three regional academy hubs in the north and south of the island and another in Gozo and hopefully together with the work in schools will help us to increase participation growth by 15 per cent by 2023.”
Vassallo said that club football needs a solid platform to operate from and if elected he will offer support to Maltese clubs to follow a business and strategic development plan aimed at maximising the value of the clubs playing in the top flight.
“All clubs will be provided financial incentives if they follow the financial business plan offered to them and in that way, I would have my mind at rest that they are doing the work being asked to with good governance.”
The MFA presidential candidate said that he is proposing changes to football season calendar to ensure Maltese clubs will arrive better prepared for the UEFA club commitments.
“I think that we need to change our football calendar,” he said.
“My idea is to start the league season in late September and clubs will have a longer mid-season break in January.
“The season will come to a closer date to the UEFA club competitions fixtures and that would give our teams a better chance to perform better as players will be at the peak of their condition.”
Vassallo also announced plans of forming a professional football team made up of a number of home-grown players who will have the opportunity of playing in the Italian professional league.
“Having a team in the Italian Lega Pro would be a great opportunity for us to ensure our national team steps up its level of performance,” Vassallo said.
“I had already talks with FIGC officials and the response has been very promising. The structure will be a separate one from the national team and like that we would be giving the opportunity to around 20 homegrown players to train and play in a professional setup.
“We cannot ask for results and not follow what others have done before us internationally, hence we will not dilute our league, instead the Association will be promoting a solid domestic product through the necessary needed reforms.”
As regards the fight against match-fixing, Vassallo said that he is planning to set up a dedicated unit that will be headed by an experienced officer (former or seconded member of the police force) with the necessary investigative background who will act as an integrity officer with the aim of safeguarding our game.
Finally the improvement of MFA’s reputation will be consolidated through the setup of a compliance office and an ethics and integrity committee.
Bjorn Vassallo ended his presentation by stating that no gimmicks will improve the situation but through his experience at FIFA he can opt for the right modules to implement best practices in achieving Vision 2027.