Coronavirus: All senior football and futsal matches to be played behind closed doors

The Malta Football Association has announced that all official football and futsal matches in Malta and Gozo will be played behind closed doors.

The MFA said that the measures apply for all Premier, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Divisions.

The pre-match fair play handshake will also not take place between players and match officials from this weekend until further notice.

The MFA’s decision follows that of other major leagues in Europe, with Champions League and Europa League matches being played behind closed doors. Matches, mainly those involving Italian teams, are also being postponed.

The MFA said that only the following persons will be allowed inside the stadium: players, registered coaches, technical and medical staff, match officials, committee members, police officers, stadium personnel and accredited media representatives.

The Youth FA and Gozo Youth FA competitive and friendly matches are also being cancelled with immediate effect.

“The above decisions and protocol also apply to non-league football and competitions organised by Malta FA member associations,” the statement read.

All training sessions and activities of the national football selections in the Under-17, Under-16 and Under-15 age-groups and the girls’ academy are also being suspended.

The association also urged member clubs to hold all training sessions behind closed doors.

The MFA is also holding discussions with third parties over the possibility of streaming selected matches from its competitions.