Updated | Police should investigate VIP crowd with no social distancing at football match, Arnold Cassola says

Updated at 1:50pm with MFA reaction

Independent election candidate Arnold Cassola has asked the Police Commissioner to investigate spectators who attended the Malta vs Faroe Islands football match, despite COVID-19 protocols dictating otherwise.

Cassola said on Thursday that according to safety protocols issued by SportsMalta and the health authorities back in July, matches should be played behind closed doors. Spectators are not allowed to enter stadiums and sport premises for both training and competition matches.

According to the regulations, Cassola said, access to the venues and stadiums was limited solely to athletes, venue and coaching staff.  

Cassola questioned why Parliamentary Secretary Clifton Grima was inside the dressing room with football players against COVID-19 protocols

Despite this, he said the VIP section at the National Stadium, during the UEFA Nations League match, was "packed like sardines".

Cassola also pointed out that while the use of showers was strictly prohibited for athletes, and non-athletes could not even use a dressing room in sports facilities such as the National Swimming pool, Parliamentary Secretary Clifton Grima, a non-athlete, was pictured inside the dressing room with Maltese footballers.

"In these trying times for everyone, where people are having to give up on basic necessities, such as visiting elder parents in homes, meeting more than five friends, having to wear a face-mask outside, etc., it is totally unacceptable that privileged people are allowed to flout regulations, left, right and centre just because they are considered to be VIPs," Cassola said.

He said this “privileged treatment” was typical of a "corrupt dictatorship" and not of "mature democracies".

Cassola called on Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa to investigate the event.

MFA reaction

The Malta Football Association defended its actions, insisting the number of attendees for the match was in accordance with UEFA protocols and Maltese legislation.

The association said it took all the necessary health and safety precautions, including placing stickers on seats to provide guidance to the limited number of attendees in line with social distancing guidelines.

Other measures such as the use of hand sanitisers and body temperature checks were in place while the obligation to wear masks was also observed.

“The claim that the VIP area was ‘packed like sardines’ is inaccurate and based on an image, posted on Facebook, which was taken from a distance and doesn’t reflect the seating arrangements and social distancing measures which were generally followed by the attendees,” a spokesperson for the MFA said.

The MFA also forwarded photos of the seating arrangements in the VIP area of the National Stadium ahead of the match. A photo is being reproduced below.

The VIP seating area at the National Stadium prior to the Malta-Faroe Islands match. The photo was provided by the MFA.