Infrastructure Malta CEO Trustin Farrugia Cann resigns after 40 days

The recently-appointed Infrastructure Malta CEO, Trustin Farrugia Cann, has tendered his resignation after just 40 days on the job, and before actually signing the employment contract, citing its incompatibility with his refereeing career.

Ing. Farrugia Cann is a FIFA-licensed referee with almost 12 years of experience. He was named the Malta Football Player Association’s Referee of the Year in 2020.

“Although I thought it was possible to strike such a balance, as I have in the past, I realise that being CEO of this entity [Infrastructure Malta] is not compatible with my other role [as a referee], which requires travelling abroad,” he said in a statement posted to Facebook.

He said he did not want to give up his football career after all the sacrifices he had made, and therefore informed Infrastructure and Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia that he would not be signing the contract to become Infrastructure Malta’s CEO.

Ing. Farrugia Cann took over as CEO of the roads agency in May, following the resignation of the controversial Fredrick Azzopardi, who had led the agency since its inception in 2017.

Ing. Azzopardi’s tenure was tainted with allegations of an unwillingness to dialogue and tens of millions handed out as direct orders to certain contactors, many of whom are known to be close to the ruling party.