Police, MFA step up investigations into Premier League match-fixing claims

Police investigations into match-fixing allegations at the top level of Maltese football are continuing, well-placed sources have told The Times.

Maltese football is reeling from a fresh corruption scandal after Marsaxlokk's assistant coach Peter Hartshorne and player Claude Mattocks admitted to offering a bribe to Msida St Joseph goalkeeper Matthew Camilleri who, the court heard yesterday, turned down their approach.

The case dates back to last November when Marsaxlokk met Msida in a first-round match from the BOV Premier League. The game ended 1-1.

The Times has information that the police have also been probing another top-flight match, played recently, on suspicion that one or more players may have been approached by other individuals with a view to influencing the result of the game. A player has already been questioned by the police but no charges have been pressed so far.

Top Malta FA officials are believed to have been in regular contact with the police in the last few weeks as the latter stepped up investigations into allegations of corruption in local football.

Reports have also been rife that the MFA have asked the police to investigate an anonymous letter containing allegations of an attempt to bribe players before the second-round match between Valletta and Msida St Joseph. The match, played on January 31, ended in a 2-0 victory for Valletta.

Hartshorne and Mattocks, who is currently serving another ban for a doping offence he committed last season, are now expected to be suspended indefinitely from all football activities in the coming days.

Referee banned

The MFA said in a statement yesterday that president Joe Mifsud has instructed the association's Board to Investigate Corrupt Practices to hold an inquest into the latest corruption case and to suspend Hartshorne and Mattocks, a former Malta international, with immediate effect.

The statement also revealed that the MFA Board to Investigate Corrupt Practices earlier this week banned referee Pierre Saliba from all football activities.

Saliba is being investigated over an alleged bribery attempt in connection with a match he didn't officiate in, the MFA statement said. The police have been informed about this case.

Maltese football has been rocked by a series of match-fixing scandals this season.

Last summer, the Malta FA uncovered an attempt to rig the UEFA Cup game between Marsaxlokk and Croatian team Slaven Belupo. Albanian coach Ilir Pelinku and former referee Joe Attard have been identified by the MFA as the two main suspects in this case but they have yet to be arraigned in court.

Last December, St George's goalkeeper Andrea Gatt and forward Lawrence Mizzi pleaded guilty to accepting a bribe to throw away the Division One match against Vittoriosa Stars.

Manwel Ancilleri, the vice-president of Vittoriosa Stars, has also been charged in connection with this case.

The MFA ordered that the first round match, won by Vittoriosa 3-2, be replayed after St George's filed a protest challenging the result of the derby. The replay took place last Wednesday with Vittoriosa again emerging 2-1 winners.

On Thursday, St George's lodged another protest, this time to contest the eligibility of Vittoriosa forward Ndubisi Chukunyere to play in Wednesday's replay.