Malta FA takes umbrage at MP's unsubstantiated claims that football league has been fixed

The Malta Football Association has expressed disappointment over unsubstantiated claims made in parliament by Nationalist MP David Agius that the top-flight league winner is known.

The MFA said in a statement on Wednesday anyone with information or evidence about match-fixing or any other form of corruption in sport had “a duty to report”.

“It is extremely disappointing for the Association to note that the discussion in the highest political institution is reduced to conjecture and speculation when debating a matter of such importance for sport in general,” the MFA said.

The association was reacting to comments made in parliament on Tuesday during a debate on amendments to the Sports Governance and Integrity Act.

PN MP David Agius implied that the Championship League winner was known. He did not mention any football club by name but suggested it came from a locality in the electoral district of Labour backbencher Deo Debattista. Debattista was elected from the 1st District, which includes the localities of Valletta, Floriana, Hamrun, Santa Venera, Pieta and Marsa. The clubs from Valletta, Floriana and Hamrun play in Malta's top-flight league.

Agius did not implicate Debattista in wrongdoing but used the reference to the electoral district as a pointer to suggest, which football club would win the league.

The current league leaders are Hamrun Spartans, followed by Floriana and Sliema Wanderers.

Agius provided no proof to substantiate his claim, insisting later on that those involved in sport corruption in Malta “are known”. He was lamenting the lack of prosecutions for sports corruption.

The MFA did not take lightly to these aspersions, insisting that such speculation was “nothing short of a slap in the face for all athletes, volunteers, and most of all fans”.

“In reaffirming our zero-tolerance stance against corruption in sports, the Malta FA notes that such speculation hardly does justice to the efforts of football administrators who dedicate their time and energy, mostly voluntarily, to serve their clubs and communities,” the association said.

The MFA welcomed a “constructive discussion” on integrity issues in Maltese sport and any proposals to strengthen the tools in the fight against corruption but called on all parties involved to “exercise caution not to generate unfounded speculation, tarnishing the image of local football in the process”.

The association said it was committed to uphold integrity and fight corruption in football.

“This resolve is backed by action not just words as the Association has been at the forefront of efforts to strengthen legislative tools in the form of harsher penalties for criminal offenses related to match-fixing and anti-sporting behaviour,” the MFA said. “Furthermore, good governance, ethics, and integrity checks were also central to the extensive reforms undertaken by the Malta FA in recent years as part of the Association’s strategy.”

Correction: An earlier version of this report stated that Agius was refering to Minister Clifton Grima when identifying the electoral districts from where the purported league winner hails. He was addressing Labour MP Deo Debattista and not the minister.