For the second day running, the inclement weather wiped out the entire football programme as the Malta FA cancelled all matches yesterday.
The decision to call off the fixtures follows the postponement of all the games scheduled for Saturday after gale-force winds late Friday night pierced the canopy of the National Stadium’s enclosure.
The powerful gusts also caused minor damage to the stands of the Centenary Stadium and the Hibs Stadium.
“The Malta Football Association announces that, due to the bad weather and strong wind that hit the Maltese islands last night and which looks likely to persist throughout the day, all matches from the MFA championships, due to have been played today, have been postponed,” the Malta FA said in a statement.
“The MFA has taken these precautions to ensure the safety of players, officials and fans. More information on new dates for the postponed matches will be given in the coming days.”
The weather-induced post-ponements have left the MFA facing a backlog of fixtures at a crucial stage of the season.
Works to refix the metal sheets that were ripped off the roof of the National Stadium’s enclosure are expected to commence today, weather-permitting.
Of the four BOV Premier League matches scheduled last weekend, two – Floriana vs Birkirkara and Hibs vs Sliema – were to be played at the National Stadium on Saturday and two – Mosta vs Ħamrun Spartans and Valletta vs Balzan Youths – at the Hibs Stadium yesterday.
These four games are now expected to be played in the coming days.
Early reports indicate that the Victor Tedesco Stadium has not been damaged by the strong winds but, as a precautionary measure, the MFA decided to call off the four BOV Division One matches which should have been played at that venue on Saturday and Sunday.
On Friday, the Tedesco Stadium hosted two Premier matches – Marsaxlokk vs Qormi (1-0) and Tarxien vs Mqabba (1-0).
While football in Malta again fell victim to the adverse conditions yesterday, that was not the case in Gozo as the two matches from the GFA Division One went ahead as planned.