Malta FA general secretary Bjorn Vassallo has defended the decision to twice postpone the two Premier League games that were to be staged at the Hibs Stadium last weekend before shifting them to the Tedesco Stadium on Monday.

Responding to criticism of the postponements, Vassallo said the MFA “can’t do the impossible”.

He explained that the pitch at the Hibs Stadium would have been ruined for the remainder of the season as the surface was unfit to host two games in a row after the thunderstoms that battered the islands on Friday.

“I was astonished to read certain comments in the media,” Vassallo told reporters.

“There was criticism of the MFA but these were exceptional cir-cumstances. On Friday, the country was hit by a cyclone which disrupted several events.

“At times, the criticism is justified but on this occasion, it was not.

“BOV Premier League matches are played in three venues, the National Stadium, Hibs Stadium and Tedesco Stadium.

“The National Stadium is currently unavailable due to the reseeding of the turf as we plan our calendar a year in advance.

“In situations like these, we need to be careful to protect the only other turf pitch available.

“Until a few years ago, we had a five-week pause around this period but this break was re-moved as it made no sense.

“Now, our teams play every week in modernised facilities. I prefer to look at the glass as half-full.

“The choice we faced was either to play the games at the Hibs Stadium as planned and ruin the pitch for the rest of the season or change venues.”

Vassallo admitted that the situation was an unpleasant one for all those involved, including the MFA as the last-minute de-cision to move the games to the Tedesco Stadium meant that the weekend’s top fixtures, Hibs-Balzan and Birkirkara-Floriana, could not be broadcast live on television.

“The situation last weekend was unpleasant but we tried to limit the damage,” Vassallo said.

“We apologise for any in-convenience caused but, with the resources we have, we can’t do the impossible.”