A wheelchair-bound football fan was left cold and alone in a dark access passage at Ta’ Qali National Stadium after security personnel told him it was the only place from where he could watch the match.

“They told me I had to go all the way around the stadium and then took me to a place behind the corner flag. I couldn’t even see the game. There was a boundary wall that went above my line of vision. I was left cold and alone, judging what was going on in the game by the distant cheers from the stands above,” Kevin Vella said.

The Malta Football Association, MFA, maintains that the stadium’s Millennium Stand offers full accessibility. However, the wind and rain that often beats down on the exposed eastward facing stand poses a serious risk to Mr Vella, whose muscular dystrophy means that exposure to extreme weather conditions can lead to severe health complications.

“The Millennium Stand is fully accessible but the weather it’s often exposed to is more than just uncomfortable for me. Not to mention the fact that they rarely open that stand anyway,” Mr Vella said.

The National Commission People with Disability (KNPD) filed a judicial protest against the MFA in February accusing it of failing to provide adequate access to the Ta’ Qali stadium’s enclosure stand. The commission had received many complaints about the shortcoming.

In warmer months and when he is assured the Millennium Stand is accessible, Mr Vella said he often made the short drive from his Mosta home to the stadium. However, having access to just the one stand means that Mr Vella often watches the game surrounded by the opposing team’s fans.

“Wearing my Green Floriana shirt in the hotly-contested Valletta-Floriana game surrounded by a sea of red shirts is terrible. I’m a sitting duck. I don’t feel threatened but that’s not the point. Being part of the crowd and supporting your club, singing songs, joking and making merry is why people go to the stadium,” Mr Vella said.

“Being so close to the crowd and not being able to participate is painful for me. I don’t want to go there anymore. I don’t think anyone would,” he quickly added.

Since 2011, the MFA has initiated a series of refurbishment programmes at the Ta’ Qali stadium, giving the enclosure stand a warmly welcomed facelift.

Mr Vella had written to previous Parliamentary Secretary for Sport, Clyde Puli and to the MFA about his access concerns when he first heard of the MFA’s refurbishment plans in 2011. He was subsequently invited to a site visit where several access options were discussed.

Despite a string of promises for an accessible enclosure, the few ramps and rails that wheelchair users had longed for were never installed, he complained.

“We’re not asking for much, just to be treated equally. Some say: doesn’t the Millennium Stand offer adequate access? Frankly, it does not,” Mr Vella said.