Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1504886
NEWS 7 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 2 AUGUST 2023 Vaughan Jr was jailed for 15 months for helping the killers of a police officer flee the UK CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Malta's oldest football club announced Vaughan's ap- pointment last week but has so far not formally informed the Malta Football Association. "Despite being aware of statements made through so- cial media, the Malta FA has no official communication from St George's FC regarding changes in the club's manage- ment committee," MFA Gen- eral Secretary Angelo Chetcuti said. Under the MFA's regulations, club officials need to undergo a due diligence check which de- termines whether they can be approved or otherwise. A criminal past In 2016, Vaughan Jr was jailed for 15 months for helping the killers of a police officer flee the UK. Stephen Vaughan Jr, 31, al- lowed his sister's boyfriend Timmy Donovan to borrow his Mercedes, which he used to escape to Ger- many in the hours after the officer was killed. Vaughan admitted perverting the course of justice by allowing Donovan to use his vehicle to "evade ap- prehension or prose- cution by police". Five years earlier, in March 2011, the Liver- pool Echo reported that Vaughan Jr and his father were sentenced for having attacked a police officer in a drunken rage. The father was jailed at North Liverpool Com- munity Justice Centre after as- saulting a police constable. Vaughan Sr's barrister An- thony Barraclough blamed the drink-fueled "outburst" on the pressures he faced as a busi- ness owner and pleaded for a suspended sentence. A complicated relationship with football Stephen Vaughan Jr is no newcomer to Maltese football, having been appointed Flori- ana FC president in January 2013, a position he held until February 2014 when he re- signed. In 2015, Floriana initiated legal action against Vaughan Jr after he left the club and claimed €70,000 in debt. Club sources said the issue was resolved "almost immedi- ately" and "not a single cent" was paid to Vaughan Jr. He later became Mosta FC assistant coach and technical director, helping the club to its highest position in history as they finished fourth in the BOV Premier League in the 2013/14 season, before return- ing to the UK just six months later. On 4 November 2016, it was announced that Vaughan had been appointed as full-time director of foot- ball at Welsh Pre- mier league side Bangor City having al- ready been working in the role on a part-time basis from 1 August 2016. In his first season the club qualified for the Europa League by winning the play-offs. In the second season with the club, Bangor finished second and automatically qualified again for the Europa League. On 26 April 2018 the FAW Club Licensing Appeals Body decided to revoke Bangor City's Tier 1 and UEFA li- cense due to not meeting fi- nancial criteria, meaning that they would automatically drop down to the second level of Welsh football and would not be able to compete for a place in the following season's Eu- ropa League. In October 2018, he was ap- pointed as interim manager of Bangor City following the resignation of Craig Harri- son. On 5 July 2019, he was appointed manager of Bangor City following the resignation of Gary Taylor-Fletcher. He left the club in September. In June 2020, he was appoint- ed manager of Boca Gibral- tar in the Gibraltar National League but did not formally take up the role. Jeffrey Farrugia 'il-Vinc' enters the fray But Vaughan's appointment by the Bormla club was not the only one to raise eyebrows. In a Facebook post uploaded by the club, announcing the first player meeting under the new management, Jeffrery Far- rugia, known as il-Vinċ, can be spotted sitting among the players. Farrugia is no stranger to controversy in Maltese foot- ball circles. He resigned from his role as Sliema Wanderers FC pres- ident in 2021, after months promoting the supposed arriv- al of a new benefactor for the club – Saudi company Catco Group. MaltaToday had revealed how the company had prom- ised Sliema Wanderers a €25 million investment over five years. But despite the high-flying promises towards the Premier League football club, Catco failed to pass on any cash and player wages remained unpaid. Farrugia said the problem was with Maltese banks that re- fused to open a bank account for funds to be transferred to the club. Sliema were relegated to the Challenge League in the fol- lowing season. Jeffrey Farrugia 'il-Vinc' (circled in red) at a player's meeting