Birkirkara FC president Adrian Delia revealed today that he and his family had been subjected to 'attacks' after he acted over match-fixing claims, and he urged all those involved in local football to unite in fighting illegal betting.
In an emotional intervention during a regular meeting of the MFA council, Dr Delia said he and his family had been the subject of (unspecified) attacks after he took action against goalkeeper Miroslav Kopric.
Mr Kopric is the subject of a police investigation into illegal betting. He has denied the claims.
Dr Delia said the attacks against him and his family only reinforced his determination to find the truth.
He did not say who made the attacks or how, but, with tears in his eyes, he said local football was under attack and all needed to unite in order to win.
He urged anyone having any information on match-fixing to come forward, adding that he believed there were persons 'in this room' who had received information about what was going on and who should therefore speak out.
MFA president Norman Darmanin Demajo strongly backed Dr Delia, saying it was painful for him to see a council member in such an emotional state owing to his involvement in a game which was meant to be enjoyed.
He observed that in such situations, the football fraternity united in solidarity.
The integrity of the people forming part of the MFA structures would ensure that the association would continue to tackle the match-fixing problem with a united front, he added.
Franz Tabone, MFA integrity officer, denied reports that a number of games involving Birkirkara FC had been flagged for irregular betting patterns.
PN CONCERN
In a statement the PN spokesman on sports, David Agius expressed concern over developments in Maltese football.
He also expressed solidarity with Dr Delia and his family and praised the club president for his actions. He said no threats should deter anyone from fighting corruption.
Mr Agius called for a through police investigation and said he looked forward to concrete proposals by the task force set up by the MFA to tackle football corruption.