Fr Hilary Tagliaferro, veteran sports journalist and Augustinian priest, speaks to Ariadne Massa about football, drug decriminalisation and the increasing rate of poverty
Football is a religion for millions of fans, but for Fr Hilary the beautiful game possesses a deeper meaning – it is the metaphor of life and a gift from God.
Born with a deep-seated passion for football, the sprightly priest, who turns 80 in October, has succeeded in marrying the sport with his faith and instilled generations of youngsters with its core values.
“Football has taught me to accept defeat, disappointment and pain... I used to be a bad loser; I always wanted to win and be first, but sports taught me this is not always possible, so you get up and start afresh,” he says.
Smiling at the irony that he is still president of the Youth Football Association at his age, his eyes shine as he speaks about how he tries to impart these values to the 50 nurseries across Malta.
He speaks passionately about the returns he has reaped through the sport, but his grey eyes cloud over when he touches upon the recent allegations of corruption that have dogged Fifa over Qatar’s successful World Cup bid.
The world soccer’s governing body is reeling after allegations surfaced in Britain’s Sunday Times exposing a former top Fifa representative who made payments to officials as part of a campaign to win support for Qatar’s bid to host the 2022 tournament.
These revelations have overshadowed the build-up to the World Cup, and Fr Hilary is disappointed to see the game being tarnished.
“It is a very sad situation and if we speak of fair play Fifa should be leading by example,” he says.
Although this scandal saddens him, he accepts that since football is a metaphor for life there will inevitably also be corruption, which made educating young players about fair play all the more important.
“We need to focus more on discipline, so that the players, who are the showcase of football, set a good example.”
This instantly resurrects the debate on Luis Suárez, the Uruguay striker who was banned from playing nine international matches and four months for biting Italy’s defender Giorgio Chiellini.
“I believe Suárez has some psychological problems because it’s not the first time this happened... his suspension is fair... but he must rehabilitate himself,” he says.
Rehabilitation is something Fr Hilary firmly believes in and he is pained by society’s vindictive justice that prefers to jail drug addicts than help them reform.
“I never condemn anybody for life because everybody can make a mistake and we have to give everyone a chance. The importance is striking a balance between education and rehabilitation,” he says.
“Prison never rehabilitated anybody... It’s revenge for the wrong somebody has done, not rehabilitation – research has shown that the vast majority of released prisoners end up back in jail, so clearly there’s something wrong with the system.”
Long a campaigner for less severe drug laws, especially when dealing with addicts, Fr Hilary is, however, adamantly against decriminalisation.
Prison never rehabilitated anybody... It’s revenge for the wrong somebody has done
“I fear decriminalisation is opening the door to abuse and will be the next step to legalising drugs,” he says, echoing comments by Auxiliary Bishop Charles Scicluna that the proposed drug reform will play into the hands of drug barons.
Justice Minister Owen Bonnici has been careful to stress that the proposed White Paper on drug reform is completely different from outright legislation, but Fr Hilary’s major fear is that decriminalisation will remove the deterrent for youngsters already dabbling in drugs.
Fr Hilary does not believe the law should be changed because magistrates already exercise the common-sense practice not to send a first-time offender to prison if charged with simple possession.
“I don’t want to give young people the impression that it’s not a crime to smoke cannabis or pop pills; that it’s OK,” he says, adding that the young reformed addicts he comes into contact with through Paceville’s Millennium Chapel were also against a change in the law.
The Augustinian priest, who has always made it his mission to go beyond the altar – sparking a ‘scandal’ back in the 1970s when he was driving a Lambretta, coaching football teams and presenting TV sports programmes – has been an anchor for youngsters battling addictions and problems.
He believes the Church is still not close enough to the people.
“This leaves us in the margins of society and very often we’re late on speaking on issues that affect people’s lives. I’d like people to understand that they’re part of the Church; that the Church is not only formed by the Curia, archbishops or parish priests,” he says.
Fourteen years since founding the chapel – slotted in between two casinos – the social problems he witnesses remain the same but he is especially concerned with what he feels is a growing number of attempted suicides.
We all need to ask ourselves what is happening in our society for so many to be so disillusioned
“Youngsters are dissatisfied with their lives.
“We all need to ask ourselves what is happening in our society for so many to be so disillusioned,” he says.
“Sometimes young people go about life thinking sex, drugs, and alcohol are the solution for their restlessness. It may be in the short-term, but in the long run they discover that the same things that gave them fulfilment were leading to destruction instead.”
Another growing phenomenon that concerns him is poverty, which he says is “definitely increasing”.
“It’s not unusual for people to come here saying, ‘I’m hungry’, something we possibly haven’t heard people say since World War II,” he says, adding that the Millennium Chapel regularly provides 250 families with food.
Having worked in so many fields during his long vocation, what legacy does Fr Hilary want to leave behind?
“I don’t ever think about it... I just do what I feel is right and should be done for society, and put my heart in it. I feel I have been chosen by God to do this work, especially through sports.
“What I have I try to extend to others. I don’t expect to be remembered for anything. I do what I can while I’m still alive and I don’t expect anything in return.”