The director of sport of the Maltese Olympic Committee, Pippo Psaila, tendered his resignation to the executive yesterday.

Pippo Psaila gave no specific reasons for his resignation but simply quoted that he was not in approval as to how the Maltese Olympic Committee was being managed.

Contacted yesterday morning by The Malta Independent, Psaila said he could not elaborate on his decision at this stage.

He added, however, that even if he is asked to reconsider his decision, he would not accept to go back under the present administration of the MOC. He added that he might consider going back if the administration is in different hands. “I am there to serve Maltese sports,” he said.

Psaila said he will be giving a media briefing in the coming months, after Team Malta’s heavy international programme comes to its close, as he would not like to distract the athletes and their federations from the challenging work ahead of them. Asked how he views his two and a half decades of top-flight sport he answered: “It helped me serve my country to the best of my ability with the bag of talents that I have. It helped me meet so many people from different walks of life that has helped me give a value for human intra personal relationships, but above all it has given me the opportunity of teaming up and working with two exceptional people, George Abela and Gino Camilleri. This alone has made the five hours daily I have invested voluntarily in these 30 years worth every minute.”

The MOC president, Mr Justice Lino Farrugia Sacco, asked for a comment on Psaila’s resignation, said yesterday it was no surprise. “After last week’s ‘clash’, it was somewhat expected as relations became quite tense. We hoped that the situation might calm down after some days, but after his long note to the executive committee, it is evident that there will be no request for a reconsideration from our part.”

Farrugia Sacco admitted Psaila did not have an easy job within the MOC, but added that he (Psaila) was not right to boast about medals won. “Let us make it clear that he did not win the medals. It was the athletes, through the work of their federations, who won those medals,” he added.

Asked whether the MOC had a substitute in line to replace Psaila, the president said: “No. I have no idea yet.

Resignation accepted

Late yesterday evening, the MOC issued a statement saying that it had accepted Pippo Psaila’s resignation. It also said that in due course the MOC will issue a call for nominations for the post of Director of Sports to serve on the Committee for this quadrennial, according to the MOC statute.