The relegation/promotion play-off between Mosta and Gżira United, scheduled for Friday, has been switched from the Hibernians Stadium to the National Stadium, the MFA announced yesterday.

In a short statement, the MFA said the decision to change venues, owing to unforeseen circumstances, was taken following discussions with the police.

The MFA said the match will kick off at 7.30pm as originally planned.

The venue switch did not go down well with Division One side Gżira United who expressed their disappointment in a letter sent to the governing body of local football.

“We feel that the decision to move the match to the National Stadium is unfair on our club as only Premier League teams have the opportunity to play on a big pitch like that of the National Stadium,” Sharlon Pace, the Gżira president, wrote.

“As you are already aware, Premier League teams already have an advantage as they can make use of five foreign players while Division One teams are only allowed three.

“Division One sides play all their league games on artificial pitches while Premier League matches are played on synthetic as well as natural turf.

“Therefore, the MFA can provide a scenario that is fair to both sides by switching the play-off to the Tedesco Stadium or Centenary Stadium.”

However, under play-off regulations, the two contestants cannot field more than four foreign players in the decider.

Furthermore, the standing committees of the two divisions had reached an agreement that the play-off be played on natural turf, a position that was also approved by the Malta FA Executive Committee.