Tedesco makes challenging offer to Spartans' committee

Victor Tedesco has thrown down the gauntlet to the Hamrun committee, challenging members to fork out a sum of money to help assuage the club's financial crisis. In return, the former club president has pledged to write off part of the debt owed to him, equivalent to the sum generated by the committee.

"I am owed a sum of money by Hamrun Spartans but I am ready to be flexible. Serving on the committee are a few with some financial muscle. My message to them is to do what I did throughout the years by offering a sum of money to solve the club's financial crisis. On my part, I am ready to write off the same amount from the money owed to me by the club."

Addressing the media at the Fluid Restaurant in the Baystreet Complex, Tedesco explained why he filed an application for a warrant of prohibitory injunction in the Civil Court against Hamrun Spartans FC.

Tedesco was triggered into action by news that Hamrun had reached agreement to transfer Charlò Magro to Marsaxlokk FC.

Yesterday, he strongly rebuffed suggestions that his intention was to undermine the club, claiming that history shows that he has always worked for the benefit of Hamrun Spartans.

"It is unfortunate that this controversy had to erupt at an inopportune time as the residents of Hamrun are preparing to celebrate the feast of St Gaetan on Sunday. The purpose of this gathering is to pacify matters rather than adding more fuel to fire," he said.

Tedesco said that when in season 2001-2002 he returned to the helm, the club's finances showed a deficit of some Lm65,000.

"Notwithstanding these problems, we succeeded in lifting the transfer ban and to attain this, I paid the sum of Lm32,000 in accumulated wages to our players," Tedesco said.

Last season, Tedesco released the sum of Lm8,000 from the overall amount owed to him by Hamrun as a sign of loyalty to the club soon after he was removed from president.

In terms of the contract between Hamrun Spartans and Tedesco, the club had been bound to pay 70 per cent of the transfer fee of any player to the former president. Hamrun Spartans had also agreed to allow Tedesco to be present in all dealings by the club.

According to Tedesco, the terms of that contract were aimed at deterring the club from selling its main assets to other clubs.

"There are certain individuals within the club who want to relegate the team to Division Three. Their philosophy is to sell the best players and recover money to start from scratch. This may suit some persons but certainly not other long-serving officials who, like me, have dedicated their lives to Hamrun," he said.

Tedesco admitted that he was against the idea of offloading Magro.

"Before our crucial relegation tie with Marsa last season, I spoke to Magro and told him to discard the prospect of leaving Hamrun. He told me that he was keen to stay as long as he was paid his wages regularly," Tedesco said.

"My application for an injunction was aimed at stopping the transfer. The club cannot lose a player of Magro's calibre."

Tedesco claimed that he had relinquished Lm94,000 of the debts owed to him by the Spartans. He said he had only asked the club to exercise his rights according to the contract signed by the two parties but his demands were not met as Magro's transfer was completed without him being present in the negotiations.

Reacting to reports that the Hamrun committee were mulling over the idea of changing the name of the Victor Tedesco Stadium, Tedesco said that whatever happens to the name of the ground, no-one can change history.

Tedesco insisted that the club must now build on their squad and not dismantle it.

"Former coach Atanas Marinov and I had agreed that the club should rely more on its youths. Some eight young players stepped into the squad and the club's success in staving off relegation at the end of last season vindicated our policy," Tedesco said.

Yesterday's news conference was Tedesco's penultimate appearance as he is now planning to hold another briefing when he finally closes the lid on his eventful career in football.

"My appeal to the fans is to rally behind the club. I will always make myself available to help and I call on the present club officials to come forward so that we can iron out our differences," Tedesco said.