Why is it that when Malta makes headlines in the world of sport, it is invariably for the wrong reasons? The latest chapter in a scandal-filled scrapbook is that local club Hibernians made a bid to sign a British footballer convicted of rape, Ched Evans, till the end of the season.
The former striker for Sheffield United – which coincidentally was sponsored by the Malta Tourism Authority when Mr Evans last played competitive football – was released from prison last October after serving half of a five-year sentence for the rape of a 19-year-old woman in a hotel room in 2011.
A huge controversy then ensued in the UK after his former club offered Mr Evans the use of their training facilities seemingly with a view to re-signing him.
The move drew condemnation from figures ranging from British Olympic champion Jessica Ennis-Hill, who said she wanted her name removed from a Sheffield United stand, to senior politicians. Nick Clegg, whose constituency is in the city, was among them and over 160,000 people signed a petition calling on the football club to retract the offer. It succumbed.
However, for Hibs sponsor Stephen Vaughan, re-engaging Mr Evans would have been straightforward affair: “We are looking for a top striker and Ched fits the bill.”
The reality, of course, is that the situation would have been nowhere near as simple as that – for this issue transcends football. Nor would it have been simplistic as Owen Bonnici’s tweet – ill-advised because any comment on this subject must be accompanied by reasoned argument – that he “deserves a second chance”.
Even if one were to agree with the presumption that offenders ought to be given a second chance – and this is, indeed, both desirable and in some cases necessary for a better society – each case must be considered on its merits.
Mr Evans’s case is in a very special category. He is not a mechanic, nor a chef, nor a desk clerk. He is a footballer, with all the fame, riches and public profile that extremely privileged position brings with it.
Sure, he is not the first footballer to have been convicted of a criminal offence. Far from it. Joey Barton, who plays for Queens Park Rangers, served four months for assault, and former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant played with an electronic tag strapped to his ankle after serving time for drink-driving offences. But, despite his continued protestations of innocence, Mr Evans was convicted of a heinous crime.
Footballers do not just ply their trade on a field. They are role models off it, especially to young people who chant their name and idolise them. Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood, a former probation officer from Mr Evans’s native Wales, could not have put the argument more succinctly when she commented on his case: “I think there is a danger of sending a message to young people… that rape isn’t a serious offence.”
Maybe Dr Bonnici failed to take all these factors into account; unlike Joseph Muscat, who, clearly contradicting his minister, took a broader view of the situation – recognising the damage such a move could do to Malta’s international reputation – perhaps having learnt a thing or two from his gaffe in the Cyrus Engerer case. Jason Azzopardi, meanwhile, seemingly forgot the comments he made when that political controversy broke out as he called for Mr Evans to be given a second chance.
Thankfully the argument was ended abruptly by the British Ministry of Justice, which said Mr Evans was barred from working abroad due to the nature of his conviction. The right conclusion then, if for the wrong reason.