The Malta Football Association has established a committee tasked to “develop guidelines and recommendations on sponsorships”, days after a controversial deal with the cannabis regulator.
In a statement on Thursday, the association said it acknowledged “public considerations” about the collaboration with the cannabis regulator, ARUC.
The deal, signed earlier this week, will see around 160 children join football nurseries free of charge, with ARUC covering 75 per cent of eligible children’s membership fees and the MFA paying the remaining 25 per cent.
ARUC serves as the country’s regulator for recreational cannabis outlets, collecting licence fees from cannabis associations and overseeing their operations and output.
The controversial agreement drew criticism from Caritas Malta, the Nationalist Party, and leading employers’ bodies, who said the partnership risks sending mixed and potentially harmful messages to children.
MFA previously said cannabis remained a prohibited substance under anti-doping rules and the scholarship deal does not promote cannabis through sport.
In the statement, MFA announced the creation of the “Grassroots Sponsorship Committee”.
” The committee will be tasked with developing guidelines and providing recommendations on sponsorships and children’s exposure to ensure alignment among all relevant stakeholders and the welfare, development, and best interests of participating children,” the statement read.
The committee will be chaired by Professor Andrew Azzopardi, with members nominated from the Malta FA, the Youth Football Association (YFA), the Commissioner for Children, Oasi, Sedqa, Caritas, and other relevant partners.
The MFA said it will allocate internal resources to support the committee’s work.
“The Malta FA listens to constructive feedback and strives to translate this into concrete efforts to improve and pursue positive initiatives.”
PN welcomes MFA decision
In a statement, the PN welcomed the MFA’s decision to listen to the criticism sparked by the government’s decision to use the cannabis authority to sponsor children’s football nurseries.
“Through its actions today, the MFA has set an example to the Government as to how matters of this nature should be handled,” the PN statement read.
“The Malta Football Association has done what Robert Abela’s Government, the Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis (ARUC), Minister Clifton Grima and Parliamentary Secretary Rebecca Buttigieg have yet to do.”
The PN called out Buttigieg and ARUC for defending their decision rather than admitting that a mistake was made.