Sliema Wanderers football club this morning deplored media speculation about its financial affairs and said its situation is no different from that of other clubs.

The committee, in a statement, said that such speculation does not help Sliema Wanderers FC and Maltese football in general.

"The club's financial situation is not different from most of the other local football clubs. In fact, like every other committee of the local football community, our administration is working very hard in order to see and ensure that all financial commitments and criteria are honoured and observed."

The committee said it wished to confirm that during the period when Steve Abela was the president of the club, the committee worked with professional diligence, and administered and financed the club to the best of the their abilities.

"This is proved by the fact that a UEFA licence was granted to the club each year, meaning that all financial requests and criteria made by the MFA and UEFA were met by the club."

The committee added that while it would not discuss the financial position of the club in the media, the figure of debt mentioned in a TV report is incorrect.