A show of support from the Valletta fans persuaded Victor Sciriha to reverse his decision to step down as Valletta president.

After The Sunday Times reported that Sciriha was seriously thinking of offering his resignation after three successive defeats shattered Valletta’s title hopes, he confirmed his intentions when interviewed on television on Sunday night.

This prompted several fans to turn up at the Valletta FC premises ahead of a club committee meeting yesterday to urge Sciriha not to quit the presidency.

Their presence had an uplifting effect as Sciriha told the vocal fans that their backing had encouraged him to stay.

“After such a tremendous show of support from the fans, I couldn’t just quit,” Sciriha told The Times. “We must analyse what went wrong and start to plan for next season.”

Sciriha, who also enjoys the full backing of the committee, also reportedly told the gathered fans that discussions are underway with foreign investors who are keen to link up with Valletta next season.

Meanwhile, the Valletta players have been summoned to appear before the club committee on Friday.

On Saturday, Valletta suffered a 4-2 defeat to Hibs which left them seven points off the top with only five matches remaining.