Marsaxlokk demoted to Div. One, Hartshorne banned for life

Marsaxlokk have been demoted to Division One after former club official Peter Hartshorne was found guilty of breaching Malta FA regulations on match-fixing.

The case dates back to November last year when Hartshorne, who was also the club's assistant coach at the time, allegedly colluded with former midfielder Claude Mattocks to offer Matthew Camilleri, the then Msida St Joseph goalkeeper, a bribe before the Premier League match between the two teams.

Camilleri turned down the offer. The game ended 1-1. Hartshorne and Mattocks were given suspended jail terms and fined €500 each after both filed guilty pleas.

News of the convictions of Hartshorne and Mattocks triggered a Malta FA inquiry into the case, leading to charges being brought against Marsaxlokk.

After a lengthy disciplinary process, the Malta FA Board to Investigate Corrupt Practices announced its verdict yesterday, ending weeks of speculation about the outcome of this drawn-out saga.

In addition to their demotion from the Premier League, Marsaxlokk have also been fined €4,000. Hartshorne, who had been suspended indefinitely when the case came to light last March, has received a life ban from all football activities.

Marsaxlokk were yesterday expected to file notice of their intent to appeal against the MFA sentence and will hold a news conference on Monday afternoon.

The much-awaited ruling by the Malta FA board comes a few weeks after Vittoriosa Stars were also thrown out of the Premier League over another match-rigging scandal.

Last month, the Malta FA Council endorsed a motion to temporarily suspend the Premier League in view of the uncertainty created by Vittoriosa's demotion, after the newly-promoted side had only played its first match of the 2009/10 season, and the pending proceedings against Marsaxlokk.

The Malta FA Executive Committee had initially decided to continue the 2009/10 Premier League with nine teams. Amid suggestions that Marsaxlokk were likely to suffer the same fate as Vittoriosa Stars, in light of Hartshorne's conviction, several club officials voiced their disapproval at having a Premier League with nine teams or fewer and a Division One championship with more than 10 teams.

The Council approved a motion, proposed by Valletta's Paul Spiteri, that the Premier and Division One leagues be made up of 10 clubs each.

Msida St Joseph and Hamrun Spartans, the two teams relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season, are now in line to replace Vittoriosa Stars and Marsaxlokk in this season's top-flight championship.

The MFA competition regulations reportedly state that, if one or more vacancies arise in a particular division, these are to be filled by the clubs that were relegated from the same category the previous season.

This matter is expected to be discussed at length during the next Malta FA Council meeting, scheduled for next Thursday. The Malta FA Council members are also expected to look at other delicate scenarios, such as the position of the players on the books of Vittoriosa and Marsaxlokk, especially those who joined either club this summer, and possible concessions to the promoted clubs to strengthen their squad with the signing of new players.

At the last meeting, the MFA Council upheld Vittoriosa's request to terminate the contracts of their three foreign players, namely Nigerian Henry Isaac, who has since joined Sliema Wanderers, Serbian defender Nikola Vukanac, now with Birkirkara, and Czech Martin Hrubsa.

The validity of the results of the opening two programmes of this season's Premier League has also been called into question after Vittoriosa's demotion, prompting suggestions that the championship should start afresh.

However, well-placed sources have told The Times that competition regulations stipulate that the results of teams not affected by disciplinary measures will stand.

Only the results of the matches played by the demoted clubs will be declared null.

Vittoriosa, whose appeal against their demotion from the Premier League will be heard on Monday, lost 3-0 to Sliema Wanderers.

Marsaxlokk had played two games before the championship was put on hold, a 3-1 defeat to Hibs and a 1-0 victory over Dingli Swallows.

Division Three cases

The Malta FA are currently looking into two other alleged match-fixing attempts which occurred last season.

One revolves around the Division Three match between Gzira United and Sta Lucija, played on December 8, 2008, and the other concerns the Division Three promotion decider between Zurrieq and Sta Lucija in May.

Clyde Grech, a Gzira United player, was handed a four-month jail term suspended for a year and fined €500 after he admitted to trying to bribe Sta Lucija player Anthony Brignoli.

In the other case, Zurrieq players Josef Briffa and Jeffrey Camilleri are pleading not guilty to charges that they attempted to bribe two Sta Lucija players.

Brignoli and Fulvio Azzopardi, both of Sta Lucija, have been suspended by the MFA until the end of December over their failure to inform the association that they had been approached to throw a match.

The club's appeal against the bans meted out to Brignoli and Azzopardi has been rejected.