Bernard Grech condemns racial abuse incident during women’s football league match

Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech condemns racial abuse against female footballer during meeting with Sports Journalists Association

PN leader Bernard Grech met with the Sports Journalists Association
PN leader Bernard Grech met with the Sports Journalists Association

Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech has condemned all forms of discrimination related to skin colour in the wake of an incident involving Maltese footballer Maya Lucia.

Grech was speaking during a meeting with representatives of the Sports Journalists Association on Monday.

Lucia had taken to Facebook to call out the verbal abuse she faced while her team played against Mosta at the Marsaskala ground as part of the Under-19 Women’s League. The police have launched an investigation into the incident.

The incident elicited widespread condemnation, including that of the Prime Minister and parliamentary secretaries Clifton Grima and Rosianne Cutajar.

"I want this country to start looking at sport through a different lens, with more awareness and recognition of what sport can give people,” Grech said. 

He said the party also looked at sport as an economic opportunity.    

Sport offers benefits in physical and mental health, he added, agreeing with the Sports Journalists Association that sports should be elevated to the level of a ministry.

The president of the association, Sandro Micallef, said there was a need for increased finances in this field and an effort to unite the various sports associations that are currently scattered.