The Malta Football Association is this year celebrating 100 years of National League football. This year's edition is the 95th in history, but there were five occasions – in between the two World Wars – that the League was not held.

Among the activities to celebrate the occasion were the recently held UEFA Executive Committee meeting which was held at the Grand Hotel Excelsior and the Gala Night at the Mediterranean Conference Centre. And other activities are still to be held, foremost among which will be the conclusion of the Anniversary Cup competition which has now reached the semi-final stages.

Despite the several hiccups of the past year, where alleged corruption in the local game threatened to destabilise the game, the association has again proved that it leads the way in local sports, in so far as the associations are concerned.

It has proved that it is second to none – in fact I consider it to be the envy of all other associations.

No wonder, because it is perhaps the association which earns the most foreign revenue thanks to the finances available on an annual basis from UEFA and FIFA, mostly through its participation in the well-financed and sponsored European Championship and World Cup.

The presence of UEFA president Michel Platini, the former well known Juventus and France footballer, among us in January, was enough evidence of the great respect MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud enjoys in UEFA circles. No doubt, he is a well known figure, not just because he is now one of the European body's vice-presidents, but also because of his work during the 15 years he has been in its Executive Committee, where he has occupied various important posts.

I must congratulate the association for the well organised activities marking this centenary, especially that Gala night which included a presentation by Dr Mifsud and a video highlighting the most important moments of Maltese football. The presentations by the MFA to UEFA and by UEFA and FIFA to the MFA obviously took second stage especially when local tenor Joseph Calleja took the stage to perform so brilliantly in front of the hundreds of guests who almost packed the Mediterranean Conference Centre theatre to capacity. It was an activity which will be remembered by yours truly for ever.

Other associations quite rightly complain that they cannot match the Football Association simply because they cannot earn the same revenue as that earned by the MFA.

Most of them say that they are able to organise events on the same lines as the MFA does. This has been proved on several occasions when they were provided with the necessary funds.

Yet, these associations still lag behind the MFA – not only in revenue, but also administration wise. Nowadays, the MFA boasts – quite rightly – that it has a completely professional set-up and this is true. No other local sporting association is run on professional lines, except for the Maltese Olympic Committee, though on a smaller basis.

A few years ago, I would never have dreamt of the MFA moving away from Valletta to go to Ta' Qali where it now has its own offices at the Millennium Stand. One only has to pay a visit to these offices once to be convinced of the professional approach of this association – and this includes the number of full time employees now working for the MFA.

One thing which still eludes Dr Mifsud – and most probably it will continue to elude him till he remains president and even for a long time thereafter – is the fact that despite such a professional set-up, the level of our game has remained very low. He himself admitted on several occasions that no one can make any comparison with the level of that found in most European countries. This is one major factor behind the results which are achieved by the national team and the clubs in Europe which keep our ranking among the lowest in the continent.

Some might say that until the local clubs turn to full professionalism, there is nothing one can do to see an improvement in local levels. Others say that this is impossible in our country as the clubs have no real means of revenue with the gate money received from the domestic matches – their main source of revenue – being considered a pittance.

In the past few weeks we have seen Valletta FC setting their own professional set-up. This led to a situation where their players, except for two, are refraining from training at Ta' Qali under the national squad's professional scheme. I see this as a sort of challenge from Valletta to Dr Mifsud and national coach John Buttigieg and his assistant Carmel Busuttil, who are obviously disappointed with the citizens' attitude.

In my opinion, Valletta must be commended for taking such an initiative, but whether this is feasible or not in our country is still to be seen.

The first things which spring to my mind are:

1. Will our domestic football remain interesting with possibly one team (Valletta) set to dominate? If interest continues on the decrease then it could sound the death knell for the local game. At present it seems that Valletta are set to become very powerful in local football – on and off the pitch as they could leave all the others far behind. Only if the other clubs follow suit can they be challenged in local football.

2. If all clubs (or even some of them) decide to turn professional, what will happen to the players when they decide to call it a day at age 35 or thereabouts? This, of course, unless the club gives a guarantee to its players that they will be handed a pension when they retire!

3. Are the local clubs in a financial position to pay the wages of their players and coaches as well as employ a number of persons to work on the administrative side to carry out the job as would be requested? There is no doubt that this would constitute a major financial headache to the local clubs, considering their current problems.

Of course, Valletta's intentions are clear. They want to build a strong squad, not just to dominate in Malta, but to make progress in European football so that they will get the revenue needed to ensure their professional status.

But there is no guarantee for that happening. And if more clubs challenge them, what will happen then, especially if they are not successful on the domestic scene?

And so on.

These are the problems facing local football at present. When the 100 National League anniversary celebrations are over, I expect the MFA to take the bull by its horns to ensure the future of the local game. Decisions in this sense have to be taken. And it is imperative that a solution is found to the satisfaction of all, not just Valletta FC.

It is not just one club which contributes to Maltese football. It is a fact that no comparison can be made with football and its administration as we know it played and administered abroad. But I believe that with some common sense and with the contribution of everyone, we can find the right solutions for a sensible upgrade in local levels.

Henry Brincat

Sports editor

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