PremierLeagueareplayed at Ta’Qali,
asmanyclubsdonothavefacilities
tostagegames.The Tony Bezzina
StadiuminPaolaonlyhasonestand
forspectators andownersHibernians
FCprefertoplayatTa’Qali.
OfVassallo’s “shakenup”proposals,
themosteye-catchingwas a planto
entera teamofMalta’s best players
intotheItalianthirdtier, SerieC.The
outbreakofthe COVID- 1 9 pandemic
scupperedthatidea,which hadnot
beengreetedwithuniversalacclaim.
Somelocalswereconcernedthat
Malta’sbestplayerswouldneed support
fromforeignplayerstocompeteand
thatwould meantheMFAsubsidising
wages of overseasplayers.
Theplanisnowon thebackburner
butVassalloisbetterplacedthanmost
leadersof smallEuropeannational
associationstounderstandtheirplace
inthe game’seco-system.Hiscareer
asa footballadministratorstarted in
thesmallMaltesetownofSan Gwann.
By 2010 – agedjust 3 0 – he wasMFA
chief executive,hadjoinedvarious
committeesinUEFAandin 2016 left
theislandfor a full-timejobatFIFA
asdirectorforEurope.
Threeyearslater, he returnedhome
withhisyoungfamilyafterbeingelected
asthe MFApresident.NormanDarmanin
Demajohadheldthepostfornineyears
andthe electionwasrelativelyclose.
Vassallowon 83 votesagainst 54 forTheMillenniumStand...
theviewfromoutside
theNationalStadium