Herman Mula appointed Malta FA Integrity Officer
The Malta Football Association announces the appointment of Dr Herman Mula as Integrity Officer and Legal Officer.
The appointment of Dr Mula, who takes over from Franz Tabone with the latter stepping down from the post he held since 2011, is in line with the Malta FA’s plan to create a dedicated Anti Match-Fixing Unit to strengthen the fight against bribery and the manipulation of matches. A former police inspector who graduated as a lawyer in 2019, Dr Mula will lead this unit whose main objective will be to protect the integrity of football matches and competitions.
“Herman Mula certainly has the right credentials to occupy this important post,” Bjorn Vassallo, the Malta FA President, said. “Dr Mula brings a lot of experience, especially in criminal investigations, and legal knowledge, both important requisites for his new role as Integrity Officer.
“We are confident that Dr Mula will be an asset for the Malta FA, consolidating the excellent work done by Franz Tabone in the last nine years. On behalf of the
Malta FA and the local football community, I would like to thank Franz for his contribution.”
Vassallo stressed that the Malta FA has been at the forefront of the fight against corruption in sports in our country. The Association was the catalyst behind the Anti-Corruption Task Force in 2015 which eventually led to the introduction of the Prevention of Corruption in Sport Bill.
In his role as Integrity Officer, Dr Mula is co-ordinating the Malta FA’s activities in a new project – ‘Integriball Grassroots and Women’s football’ , which was officially launched in Brussels on 23rd January, 2020. This two-year project, which is funded by the EU through its ERASMUS+ programme, aims to educate on the perils of matchfixing in football, focusing on grassroots (Under-16 to Under18) and women’s football.
The Malta Football Association is one of five national associations contributing to this initiative along with the Royal Belgian Football Association, the Cyprus Football Association, Football Association of the Czech Republic and the Hellenic Football Federation.