ASA reject San Giljan's allegations

The Aquatic Sports Association (ASA) yesterday rejected the allegations made by San Giljan ASC in a press release that was handed out to members of the media last Saturday.

San Giljan staged a symbolic protest before their league match against Neptunes last weekend with captain Silvio Borg being the only player to stand on the platform for the match presentation.

In their statement, San Giljan said the gesture was aimed as a protest against the decision taken by the ASA Tribunal to suspend player Matthew Zammit for two matches.

The ASA yesterday condemned San Giljan's stance. "It (the press release) gave the impression that referee Ivan Sciriha made a false declaration during the sitting before the Disciplinary Commissioner," Remy D'Amato, the ASA general secretary, said in the statement.

"It is a fact that San Giljan's delegate did not agree with the referee's version of the incident that led to the definite exclusion of Matthew Zammit (vs Sliema) for brutality, however this does not mean that Ivan Sciriha made a "false declaration".

"The referee's version was corroborated by Francesco Cutajar, the other player involved in the incident."

The ASA warned that further disciplinary action may be taken against San Giljan if deemed necessary.