Sports minister Clifton Grima has refused to accept the offers of resignation of the chairman and secretary of the Authority for Integrity in Maltese Sport (AIMS).

Grima confirmed on Wednesday morning that he had received resignation letters from chairman of the board and former judge Antonio Mizzi, as well as secretary Frank Camilleri.

The resignations are believed to have been a result of the difficult working relationship between the authority's seven-person board and its CEO Jean-Claude Micallef. 

Times of Malta has recently revealed how Micallef signed a contract to hire a banned footballer and how several contractors are chasing him for money. 

However, the minister said he would not be accepting the resignations from Camilleri or Mizzi.

Asked if he had faith in Micallef, Grima said he had "full faith in the entire board". 

"Any internal conflicts must be solved so as not to interfere with the work that benefits the country’s sporting organisations, the results of which speak for themselves."

Any such conflicts, the minister insisted, should not be solved with political intervention but using the board’s internal mechanisms.  

“I expect these issues to be solved as soon as possible. If this does not happen, I will intervene, but that would be a last resort.” 

Jean Claude Micallef. Photo: Facebook

Last month, Times of Malta revealed that CEO Jean-Claude Micallef had engaged a former football player, Jermain Brincat, to work with the agency despite him having been banned from football for life over match-fixing. 

Micallef had initially denied Brincat’s engagement, despite his signature appearing on the contract. 

The Labour MP also found himself in hot water over his alleged failure to pay an almost €20,000 bill owed to a contractor engaged by his private company. 

Former PL MP and Sport Malta chair Luciano Busuttil served as the authority’s CEO until his departure late last year.  

Micallef was appointed his replacement, despite the reservations of several board members, some of whom would have preferred to see AIMS director Ryan Borg take on the role. 

In 2022, Micallef announced his intention to head the body representing top-flight football clubs, the MPFCA, but that role was eventually taken up by former prime minister Joseph Muscat.