Last night’s Euro 2016 final between France and Portugal marked the end of an enriching chapter in the career of sports lawyer Chris Bonett. Kevin Azzopardi spoke to the MFA vice-president who was part of UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body during the month-long tournament

At every top tournament like the World Cup or the European Championship, the focus is on the teams’ pursuit of glory, stunning goals, fluctuating emotions and the behaviour of the fans, good or bad.

Euro 2016 has been anything but devoid of excitement and on-pitch drama, what with the heroics of Wales and Iceland and Italy’s excruciating penalty shoot-out defeat to Germany in the quarter-finals, but, in the early weeks especially, the tournament was also tarnished by crowd trouble largely involving Russian, English and Croatian fans.

Away from the television cameras, the onus of dealing with security issues inside the stadia and other disciplinary matters fell on a group of football officials who spent most of their days in a Paris hotel, sifting through reports from venue delegates, referees and security officers and debating what action to take against the culprits.

One of the members of the UEFA disciplinary committee at Euro 2016 was Chris Bonett, the Malta FA vice-president.

“It has been an unforgettable experience,” Dr Bonett told Times of Malta yesterday.

“Being part of such a massive event makes you feel humble and grateful to have been given such an opportunity.”

“The work of the committee is an essential part of the tournament,” Dr Bonett added.

“Faced with cases like the crowd disturbances caused by Russian fans (in the group stage), you really feel the weight of responsibility on your shoulders.

“These are sensitive issues and you have to make sure that you take the right decision because it can have serious ramifications not only for the associations and teams concerned but also for UEFA.”

UEFA handed Russia a €150,000 fine and a suspended disqualification after their fans charged at English supporters following their 1-1 Group B draw at the end of a day marred by horrific violence on the streets of Marseille on June 11.

Dr Bonett affirmed his willingness to apply all the experience and knowledge gleaned from his work at Euro 2016 to ameliorate the decision-making process and disciplinary mechanisms at the Malta FA.

“If anything, just listening to the other officials explain how they approach disciplinary matters within their federations was very fruitful,” Dr Bonett said.

“The remaining nine members of the disciplinary committee came from different countries.

“During the meetings, you state your position based on how you would deal with the issue in your country.

“All the members give their views.

“There are things we can improve (in Malta) but the disciplinary problems are essentially the same everywhere.

“There is an exchange of views and it makes you appreciate the outlook put forward by others.

“Bjorn Vassallo (MFA general secretary), who was also part of the UEFA team at Euro 2016, and all the MFA officials who work in international tournaments… we try to borrow ideas from these events with a view to adopting them at home.

“One thing that has opened my eyes here is the importance of being capable of taking the correct decision in a short time.

“In a season-long championship, you have more time to weigh up all the arguments and evidence before reaching a conclusion but at a tournament like the Euros, you need to act fast while bearing in mind that your decision can affect the whole competition.”

An avid football fan, Dr Bonett believes that the expansion of the Euros from 16 to 24 teams has had the desired effect, dispelling the initial scepticism that greeted the announcement of the enlarged format back in 2008.

“I think Euro 2016 has been a very positive tournament and the new format has worked,” Dr Bonett said.

“There has been some criticism of the quality of football but overall it has been an enjoyable competition. The feats of Wales and Iceland have illuminated Euro 2016.

“We have a had a true European Championship and (former UEFA chief) Michel Platini’s decision to increase the number of competing teams to 24 has been vindicated.”