MFA presidential candidate Norman Darmanin Demajo explained his programme to representatives of the clubs at the weekend.

The former association treasurer is contesting president Dr Joe Mifsud in next Saturday's elections during the annual general meeting of the association.

Darmanin Demajo gave details of how the clubs stand to benefit from the new system of accounting where 'home' gates will be credited in full to the 'home' club, and how no charges against this sum will be made for the use of facilities owned by the MFA, i.e. the Ta' Qali National stadium and the Centenary Stadium. This benefit alone is expected to have a value of about Lm75,000 per season and will be shared as follows: Premier clubs Lm50,000; First Division clubs: Lm6,600; Second Division clubs Lm5,000 and Third Division clubs Lm13,000. This measure will be internally financed by the MFA's present excess income over expenditure.

Darmanin Demajo also told club representatives how he wanted to introduce measures aimed at raising awareness on the priorities that are considered crucial for the continued development of the game in Malta. Here he made it clear that he was referring to infrastructure at club level. According to his proposals, clubs who enjoy a legal title over their club facilities, will become eligible for financial assistance through interest free loans to help develop such an infrastructure. The main developments will be in the form of artificial grass surfaces and flood-lighting. The payment for the loans will be effected by means of future rental offset from the contracted use of the same facilities that the MFA may need to make in future. The loans will be subject to conditions that will guarantee the availability of the facilities for free use by the youth and nursery sectors within the clubs.

This project's estimated value is around EUR7 million and will be fully financed by the issue of a Public Bond up to a value of EUR12 million. Supporting documents (from HSBC and KPMG) confirming that a due diligence exercise is already in progress were given out during the meeting.

Another important measure explained by Darmanin Demajo involved the setting up of a Board of Internal Auditors made up of professionally qualified people. He explained that there was a need for much greater transparency in the way the MFA was being run, and also that clubs needed to ensure that all funds allocated to them from UEFA were actually arriving in the club's accounts. He made specific reference to funds received under the Champions League Solidarity programme which involves all MFA clubs, and also questioned whether funds received by the MFA from UEFA, earmarked to refund expenses made by clubs that take part in European competitions (re-match officials, delegate, etc) were actually credited to the clubs concerned.

The former MFA Treasurer also raised doubts about the accounting treatment of income in the MFA's audited accounts of the past years, and confirmed that the Internal Auditors' terms of reference will include the verification and checking of all MFA contracts including the exploitation of TV rights, local and foreign.

Darmanin Demajo is also proposing to the clubs that the MFA will subsidise the cost of referees for all competitive league and cup matches played by the Gozo FA, the Youth FA and the member associations. He estimated this value at around Lm20,000 each season.

Among other things, he also spoke about further assistance initiative towards the clubs.

He is proposing to introduce an MFA Help Desk and Regulations Information Hotline; a club ombudsman, a subsidised and centralised artificial turf maintenance programme and the setting up of a clubs' reimbursement fund. He added that the latter initiative was aimed at crediting the clubs' accounts with the amounts that were charged to their account in previous years re-the use of the Centenary Stadium. Darmanin Demajo said that this was being proposed because the turf replacement costs are being funded by UEFA.

He is also proposing to revise the formats of the league and the FA Trophy, subject to MFA Council approval. He said this would be made with the wishes of the majority of the clubs who, according to him, have already expressed their position in this regard. And, he added, this revision will come into effect as from this season, if the clubs are in agreement.

He insisted that he had always acted in the best interest of Maltese football and will continue to do so with honesty and integrity and to the best of his ability.

He also thanked current president Dr Joe Mifsud for his work in the association during the past 15 years and emphasised that, if elected to the presidency, he will not only continue building on past achievements, but will devote all of his time and energy towards the improvement and development of what he considers to be a priority, the infrastructure at club level.