Malta FA president Norman Darmanin Demajo yesterday confirmed that three players, Gaetan Spiteri, Jermain Brincat and Chris Brincat, have all been suspended temporarily over match-fixing allegations.
Alluding to reports which claimed that the MFA president had declined a request by some Executive Committee members to divulge the findings of the integrity office’s probe into the alleged match-fixing attempts, Darmanin Demajo defended his stance.
“I didn’t read out the full report as it’d have been unfair to reveal all the details before the case is heard before the Board to adjudicate charges relating to bribery and illegal betting in football,” Darmanin Demajo said during yesterday’s MFA council meeting.
“At this stage, we are certainly not in a position to reveal who allegedly did what in these two cases.”
Spiteri, who joined Qormi on a one-year loan deal from Ħamrun Spartans last summer, is being charged with the attempt to bribe Steve Bezzina before the Premier League match between Ħamrun Spartans and Sliema Wanderers last February.
Bezzina, currently turning out for Mosta, was on loan with Sliema last season.
Former Floriana, Sliema and Mqabba defender Julian Briffa is facing similar charges in connection with the Ħamrun-Sliema investigation.
For their part, Jermain Brincat and his brother Chris, a Malta futsal international, must respond to accusations that they tried to bribe Nigerian defender Sunday Eboh before this season’s Division One game between Naxxar and Gzira, played on September 28.
Eboh plays for Naxxar Lions while the Brincat brothers are on the books of Floriana.
It was also announced yesterday that FIFA have written to the MFA asking for information about its existing regulations on bribery and sanctions in relation to match-fixing.
UEFA payments
Darmanin Demajo yesterday explained how the MFA will distribute UEFA’s solidarity payments (€274,951) to clubs.
Retaining the formula adopted last season, clubs that have an Under-19 side will receive €2,000 each while the sum earmarked for the nurseries will be calculated according to their licence.
Besides the annual grants to the Youth FA (€30,000) and the Gozo Youth FA (€15,000), nurseries of Gozitan clubs will also benefit from the UEFA solidarity payments for the first time this year.
The UEFA solidarity payments were at the centre of controversy a few months ago after Darmanin Demajo announced that a report by the MFA financial department showed that, between 2003 and 2008, the local football body had failed to distribute UEFA’s yearly grants to local clubs in full.
Yesterday, the MFA president said the board appointed to look into this matter has submitted its initial report to the MFA Exco and the entire verification exercise is nearing its conclusion.
Meanwhile, Council members also discussed a request by the Malta Football Players Association (MFPA) to attend MFA council meetings as observers.
After a lengthy debate, the members voted against this proposal but Darmanin Demajo said that the MFA was prepared to invite representatives of the MFPA for meetings where matters of relevance to players are on the agenda.
Another long debate yesterday revolved around a letter presented by five Ħamrun Spartans youth players. They expressed their wish to be loaned out to other clubs.
The Spartans are willing to send these players out on loan for free but a transfer prohibition precludes the club from participating in any kind of transfer activity.
The council has the power to allow clubs with a transfer ban to offload players but the majority of the members voted in favour of a motion which said that the MFA should enforce the restrictions laid out by the regulations.
Euro dates
UEFA have informed the MFA that the winners of the 2012/13 BOV Premier League will enter the fray in the second qualifying round of the Champions League.
The first legs will be played on July 16-17, 2013 with the return matches a week later.
As far as the Europa League is concerned, Malta’s three representatives will start their campaign in the first qualifying round with the first legs on July 4 and the return matches on July 11.
In another development, the Malta FA approved an amendment to its competition rules regarding clubs that are docked points during a season.
Under the revised rule, penalty points that are not deducted during the season will be carried forward to the following campaign, even if the club concerned is relegated.