The Malta Football Association is set to present an historic set of rules amendments to the Council members during the last meeting of the 2019-20 season, scheduled for tomorrow.
For the last few weeks, much of the attention of local football enthusiast was focused on the saga of how this season’s football championships will be concluded following the governing body’s Executive Committee’s decision to terminate all competitions prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During this time, the local governing body of football was working hard to finalise a new set of rules regarding the status and transfer of players.
With the Malta FA administrative season coming to a close tomorrow and re-opening on Tuesday, the governing body has called for a Council Meeting videoconference tomorrow afternoon where a new set of regulations that will see the abolition of the parameters fees of players will be presented.
In the past, clubs who wanted to sign players whose contract with their previous clubs expired were forced to pay a parameter fee, a rule that brought with it a lot of criticism from both the world union of players FIFPRO and FIFA.
However, after years of discussion and negotiations between club representatives as well as the Maltese union of football players, the MFPA, this regulation will be removed.
Parameters imposed on children and youths with an Amateur status will also be removed and there will also be changes in the training compensation fees between divisions.
Contacted by the Sunday Times of Malta, MFA president Bjorn Vassallo said that he was delighted with the new set of rules that will be presented tomorrow.
“I am pleased that we will be presenting an amended set of regulations that will abolish once and for all the players’ parameters in football,” Vassallo said.
“When I look back from where we started with the discussion in 2012 and where we arrived today with a total agreement between all stakeholders, I cannot but not praise the efforts of all those who were involved in this process which is expected to help us be more in conformity with the regulations of FIFA that manages the rules of world football.
“These are the moments that give me more strength and determination so that with our working plan, this administration manages to effect essential changes that will help Maltese football to renew itself.”
During tomorrow’s Council meeting, the club delegates will confirm all competitions organised by the Malta FA for season 2020-21 which is expected to be a transitional campaign for all divisions, including having a Premier League with 16 teams for one season.
Added to that the council members will be presented with the newly-formed National Amateur League that will be a merger between the Second and Third Division.
It is understood that the 2020-21 Premier League season will get underway in mid-September after the national team’s international commitments in the UEFA Nations League.