Msida St Joseph's ambitions to establish themselves in the Premier League received a significant boost yesterday.

Roberto Goveani, an experienced Italian official who was the president of Torino when they won the Coppa Italia in 1993, was yesterday unveiled as the man whose financial muscle and football expertise will help to take Msida to a higher level.

Lengthy negotiations between Goveani and the top brass of Msida SJ led to an agreement whereby the two parties have pledged to forge very close ties with a view to bolstering Msida's administration as well as their football team.

Although Goveani's precise role in the Msida administration is yet to be defined, it was clear yesterday that the former Torino boss, who is also the president of Associazione Calcio Ischia and has recently taken over Austrian club Tirol Innsbruck, is likely to be given a very prominent role on the Msida committee.

Kevin Deguara, the Msida vice-president, was visibly elated as he spoke of Msida's efforts to lure a person of Goveani's stature to their fold.

"Over the past few years, the committee of Msida St Joseph has gone to great lengths to take the club forward," Dr Deguara told a news conference at the Hilton Hotel yesterday.

"Our rise from Division Three to the Premier League testifies to the giant strides made by Msida but we will not stop here. Now that we have confirmed our top-flight status, our objective is to climb another step on the ladder. We want to rid Msida SJ of the relegation strugglers tag and make our team competitive enough to challenge for a higher position in the Premier League.

"With this ambitious objective in mind, over the last few months we have intensified our efforts to enroll the help of experts with a sound background in international football. Dott. Goveani, a notary by profession, fits the bill perfectly and we are pleased that he has accepted to align himself with Msida SJ."

According to Deguara, Goveani's significant involvement in Msida SJ will cover several key aspects of the running of the club, from finance and administration to players. "Goveani's extensive contacts in the football world should grant our young players more concrete opportunities to pursue their careers outside Malta," Deguara remarked.

"Italian football is sick and this crisis is not only confined to the financial catastrophe dogging clubs like Parma and Lazio," Goveani remarked yesterday.

"All teams in Italy are facing great difficulties and the outlook looks very bleak.

"When I was approached to consider the possibility of a foray into Maltese football, my vision was to give a local club the tools and know-how to absorb the new realities of European football.

Sound administration

"I know that Maltese football is different to its Italian counterpart but my philosophy is that the 90 minutes that make up a football match represent only two or three per cent of a club. The creation of a sound administrative and technical structure is key to the well-being of a football club.

"In Italy, many clubs have become inextricably linked with the commercial activity of those who run them, and this can have serious repercussions if one day the owner finds himself in difficulties. This is not my way of doing things," Goveani said.

"Msida are very interested in this project and the professional manner with which they try to run their club allied with their enthusiasm persuaded me to enter in this association," Goveani continued.

"Our project is a long-term one and more discussions will take place in the next few weeks with the aim of shaping the future of this club. I think I will need a year to get to know Maltese football better but I have already been told not to underestimate the value of the league here.

"I am not the type of person who puts an embargo on ambition... I am here to win."

According to Goveani, his association with Msida should also help to insert Malta in a European context.

In fact, contacts have already been made for a young Msida player to join Tirol Innsbruck, who have been promoted to the top league this season, for their pre-season training. The name of the player has not been disclosed but sources tipped Nigerian Daniel Nwoke to link up with the Austrian squad for their pre-season jaunt.

Goveani refused to reveal the size of his initial investment in Msida SJ but hinted that he is ready to inject a significant amount of money to help the club reach the top six next season.

"The commercial aspect of this club needs a lot of attention but I don't think it's wise to put a limit on how much we can invest in this team so long as we achieve our pre-set goals. Our first priority is to avoid the relegation play-offs next season."

Goveani's involvement - his proposal will be presented for the approval of the club's members during the annual general meeting to be held next month - is also likely to pave the way for the appointment of a new mentor.

"I will be back in Malta in two weeks' time and in the meantime I will discuss this project with my associates in Italy. Regarding the coach, there could be a new mentor for Msida, possibly a foreigner, but it's still early to discuss a new appointment."

A new 'stakeholder' normally signals his arrival at a club by acquiring a host of new players, especially foreigners.

With Malta now a full member of the European Union, Goveani could opt to sign a number of players from other EU countries to join Msida but asked to reveal his transfer policy, he said: "I am not in favour of a huge inflow of foreign players into Maltese football. I am only interested in acquiring good players for Msida SJ, players who have a good character and are willing to adapt to the demands of Maltese football."

Although Goveani will have a big say in the decision-making mechanism of Msida SJ, he insisted that this agreement will not change the club's operation. "I think it is a positive aspect of Maltese football that the members vote to elect their club committees," Goveani said.

Goveani said his adviser had visited the country to evaluate the local football landscape before they chose to follow through their interest in Msida.

Luciano Giudo, a football agent, set the wheels in motion for this accord between Goveani and Msida. Giudo's interest in Maltese football has seen him commuting between Italy and Malta several times over the last six years. For the past 18 months, Giudo has been working closely with Msida.

"My activity in local football has mostly focused on the transfer of players. It's difficult to lure foreign entrepreneurs to invest in Maltese clubs because of the way these are still run. I have been working hand-in-hand with Msida for the last year-and-a-half and I am pleased that they have managed to come to this significant agreement."

Giudo boasts to have masterminded the transfer of Bulgarian starlet Valeri Bojinov from Pietà Hotspurs to Lecce five years ago. In fact, Giudo has told The Times that he had first contacted Inter over Bojinov before he was snapped up by Lecce.

Msida SJ president Joe Demarco was also present for yesterday's news conference.