Updated | COVID-19: Malta FA ends top-flight football league

Updated at 5:31pm with MFA decision to stop league

Malta’s top-flight football clubs will hang up their boots for the rest of the season after the Malta Football Association decided today to prematurely end the Premier League.

The decision was taken this afternoon by the MFA executive after no clear direction was given by the health authorities on a way forward for football.

Today's decision does not concern the sporting outcome of the tournament. A decision on who will be awarded the championship and get relegated will be taken in another meeting.

Earlier

Sources close to government said some restrictions on sporting activities could be lifted but distinctions will be drawn between individual and team sports, contact and non-contact sports.

MaltaToday is informed that the MFA held a meeting with public health officials late last week to discuss the way forward. Sources close to the football community said the MFA was still waiting for a clear-cut decision from the public health authorities on whether football can resume.

All sporting activity, including football, was stopped in March when the pandemic hit Malta.

The MFA had prematurely terminated all its leagues except the Premier League, the FA Trophy and Gozo football. There are six games still to be played in the Premier League. Today's decision ends all football for this season.

Three Premier League clubs – Valletta, Gżira and Birkirkara – had asked for the league to resume but the rest of the top-flight clubs wanted the MFA to stop the tournament.

Floriana are currently league leaders, three points ahead of Valletta, while Gżira and Birkirkara are points away from securing places in European football.