In the 1920s, fixtures were arranged so that Sliema and Floriana would meet each other towards the end of the competition, thus ensuring a grand finale. When, in 1924-25, the big match between the Old Firm rivals was drawing near, feverish excitement gripped both sets of supporters.

The police took all the necessary precautions and the ground was divided into two sections.

These allocations were traditionally maintained until the end of the Empire Stadium early in the 1980s.

On the day of the match, at 3.20 p.m. sharp, referee RQMS Eaton, of the Royal Artillery, signalled for the start of the game.

Sliema kicked off and after 10 minutes, a shot by Busuttil went so near that the Sliema side roared ‘goal’ and pigeons were released into the air.

It was however, a false alarm. For the next 10 minutes Sliema controlled the game until Caunter tried a shot which went just over the bar.

Floriana took over and Nicholl was severely tested, but Sliema were soon back on the warpath. The game went on in this fashion for half-an-hour when Sliema were awarded a penalty.

Friggieri, Sliema’s right-back and an expert penalty-taker, picked up the ball and placed it on the spot. An eerie hush fell over the stadium. Friggieri took the kick but shot straight into the eager hands of Azzopardi.

Floriana fans went mad and their chanting encouraged the Greens who for the rest of the half attacked continuously.

The second half was even better. Floriana attacked more but Sliema also had their moments.

For most of the half, a drizzling rain fell but this did not dampen the spirits of the players.

Dimech, who being marked out of the game by Alamango, lost his head and floored his tormentor off the ball. He was not given a second chance by the referee and was ordered off the field.

With ten men, Sliema were forced to defend, and with six minutes to go Gejtu Psaila scored the only goal of the game which gave the Greens their sixth championship.

The saying goes the bigger you are the harder you fall. After this match Friggieri’s popularity waned drastically. The old maestro was blamed for his team’s defeat and when the players went back to the club after the game he was seriously manhandled by angry fans.

Friggieri never played for the Wanderers and a short while later, he returned to his old club Floriana for the princely sum of £5. This was one of the first transfer fees paid in Maltese football.

Ironically, against Floriana, Friggieri had played one of the best games of his career and were it not for the penalty miss, he would surely have been hailed a hero.

There was the usual talk of bribery and a certain Ġużeppe Leone Enriquez, who signed an affidavit in front of Magistrate M.A. Scerri on April 2, 1925, said that he saw and heard ­Friggieri fix the match with a couple of known bookmakers while he was fishing near ‘It-Torri’.

Friggieri denied these charges and also signed an affidavit. There was no direct proof against him but he never regained his old popularity.

Fate, however, decreed that he would never play football again.

Before the start of the new season Friggieri suffered an acute attack of appendix and died on the way to hospital. Maltese football had lost its greatest-ever son when still at the peak of his career.

This story should open the eyes of those who think that the recent match-fixing cases are unique in the history of Maltese football.

Speculation about corruption has always been rampant in the Maltese game... ever since 1900 when St George’s and Floriana played their famous match for a £5 wager.

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