'No wrongdoing' in Malta in Olympics tickets sting
Malta judge and official in UK newspaper investigation
The head of Malta's Olympic Committee, Mr Justice Lino Farrugia Sacco, yesterday featured in an investigative report by The Sunday Times of London about abuse in the sale of Olympic Games tickets.
However in comments to The Times (Malta) he denied any claims of wrongdoing, saying: "We would never go against the rules of the International Olympic Committee ( IOC). It's not worth it."
Following a two-month undercover investigation, the British newspaper alleged widespread corruption among officials and agents in 54 countries, prompting an IOC probe.
National Olympic committees were willing to sell chunks of their official ticket allocations to international touts knowing they would be sold against the IOC's rules, according to the newspaper. Undercover reporters who posed as envoys of a Middle Eastern ticket tout found 27 officials and agents willing to do business, the weekly said.
Among those secretly filmed were Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco and MOC general secretary Joseph Cassar.
In the footage, posted on the paper's website, the two appear to be explaining how the rights on Malta's allocated tickets for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi (Russia) could be bought. Mr Cassar also explained how the tickets could be marketed and sold within "subtle" bundle package deals at a mark-up.
National committees are not allowed to sell tickets outside their borders or to anyone intending to resell. Nor can they add more than 20 per cent to the original price.
The report by The Sunday Times had this to say about the Maltese officials: "Greece was not alone in being happy to allow its tickets to be sold abroad... The (Maltese) officials (Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco and Mr Cassar) were tempted by a £60,000 offer for the Winter Games tickets.
"They told the reporters they would need to set up a European office and it would be fine to sell across the continent as long as they left 'a few tickets' for the Maltese people."
Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco is quoted as saying: "Frankly, we are just interested in our needs because we realise that if the person is willing to pay you that much money, that person wants to make a profit."
When contacted yesterday about the undercover investigation by the British journalists, Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco said: "The MOC has no problems about it, in the sense that we have not done anything that is in any way wrong.
"Regarding the other national committees, I'd rather not comment because I have no information and, in my line of work, I'm accustomed not to pass any comments before I have any evidence. If they are guilty, they should be punished, if they are not they should not even be accused."
He recalled the conversation with the undercover reporters last April. "They pretended to be working for some sheikh and were interested in the Sochi 2014 (Winter Olympics) tickets and that's how the conversation started."
He said he left midway through the meeting because he thought they were people simply attempting "a venture".
"Quite frankly, I didn't give them much importance."
Asked whether he would have sold the tickets if the request was genuine, Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco said: "We would never go against the rules of the IOC, it's not worth it."
Asked whether he felt the report by The Sunday Times incriminated him, he said: "Well, I can say you hurt somebody even if you wouldn't have. Anybody can say anything but the important thing is whether you did it or not... Or whether you even attempted.
"But they do not have any proof that any of us or the MOC executive in any way ever tried to do that."
The tickets, he said, had not even been issued yet. "Even with all the bad intentions in the world, one wouldn't have managed."
Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco described the IOC's rules as "a very awkward system" where a national committee whose athletes did not qualify could end up suddenly loaded with expensive tickets that could not be sold.
Although the IOC does not allow countries to sell their tickets outside their borders, EU free trade laws said you could, provided it was within the EU, Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco pointed out.
He also said Malta's tickets for the London 2012 games were sold to the authorised retailer Marcus Evans Group who gave the best offer some years back. The offer was then accepted by the MOC and the agreement found the approval of the IOC. This was the first time Malta made money from its Olympic games tickets, money that was invested in local competitions and training.
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M Cassar
Jun 18th 2012, 19:04
"We would never go against the rules of the IOC, it's not worth it."
hmmmmm, interesting! Somehow I would have preferred someone to say, 'we would never....it's wrong'.
G Vella
Jun 18th 2012, 16:37
It is shameful the these tickets were disposed off by the MOC in such a way that the bulk of them could only be procured by buying an expensive package inclusive of accomodation etc. In the meantime I am sure that the MOC committee members have gotten themselves good seats at the events of their choice.
Ray Buhagiar
Jun 18th 2012, 15:58
No wonder I was unable to find tickets when they were issued. Now it;'s too expensive to find decent accommodation
Chris Gatt
Jun 18th 2012, 13:11
Can the head of the MOC say if any London Olympic tickets where made available in Malta, if so when was this announced, how could one buy them and how much where they? How many people availed themselves of this offer, how many tickets were available in total and for which events, and how many were passed on to the Marcus Evans Group and when. How much were the tickets sold for and how is the money to be used to the benefit of sports people in Malta. How big will Team Malta be and how big will the delegation accompanying Team Malta be and at what cost?
Anthony Farrugia
Jun 18th 2012, 11:59
Does the Comission for the Administration of Justice have any comment about this news item published by the Sunday Times (London) ?
Philip Lingard
Jun 18th 2012, 11:08
The MOC needs to be much clearer than they have been thus far to avoid incrimination by association through the Murdoch Press. The Sunday Times know how to paint with a very broad brush loaded with darkest tar and the MOC has got caught by their sting.
Loredana Cassone
Jun 18th 2012, 11:03
It would be great to understand whether any funds coming in from the tickets sold have been invested in gymnastics at all? We have very promising gymnasts on the island who need a ten year plan involving training and international meets in order to get them to the international levels (European Championships) they aspire for. Whilst there are various football pitches around the island, one cannot find one single fully equipped gymnastics venue where one can train in order to represent the Island, notwithstanding the fact that maltese gymnasts get gold medals in island games. This leaves the gymnasts with no alternative other to depend entirely on their parents to pay hefty fees for training, meets, international competitions and the like which are essential for these to progress and represent Malta. Perhaps MOC should give these promising gymasts a thought.
Ms Maria Vella
Jun 18th 2012, 15:37
gymnasts biss hemm promising? there are a lot of athletes in various disciplines that are promising but it seems that only the preferred few are given funding
John Benner
Jun 18th 2012, 11:02
Knowing what I know about Marcus Evans Group and the vast profits it makes , not only will the Maltese public have lost out buying tickets at a reasonable price for London 2012 which was the intention in the first place , but I bet you the MOC were even ripped off .
Even the Olympics is soured this is what the aims of the games are and in the next couple of months these words will echo across the world "The goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practiced without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play." the biggest load of CRAP ( I apoligise for that word ) I have ever heard ,and feel sorry that people who should know better profit on the backs of young men and women who have been training for years , and dream of haveing a medal around their necks .
Andrew Azzopardi
Jun 18th 2012, 10:01
Did the MOC know who they were dealing with? Marcus Evans is probably the most 'controversial' outfit in the international sports hospitality business, well known for its 'unorthodox' (I am being very polite) sales techniques
Mr David Ganado
Jun 18th 2012, 09:44
"He also said Malta's tickets for the London 2012 games were sold to the authorised retailer Marcus Evans Group who gave the best offer some years back"........does this mean that Maltese Olympic Games enthusiasts were never given the opportunity of buying tickets for this year's summer games because the MOC unilaterally decided it was more profitable to sell them on?
It is rather irrelevant that the money was invested in local competitions and training. I am sure that given the opportunity many local would have grabbed the opportunity to buy tickets at relatively competitive prices instead of now having to face heavily marked up alternatives.
Joseph Zammit
Jun 18th 2012, 15:50
Mr Ganado
Well said! I have a daughter who lives less than 1 mile from the Olympic Stadium. Had I been able to buy admission tickets it would have cost me just the airfare on top.
Instead I was invited to buy a package from Marcus Evans, or rather, its
subsidiary company in IRELAND called THG Sports Tours.
The MOC makes me feel proud. Such concern for local sports-lovers.
Please choose the reason of your report below: