Oldham Athletic appear not to have ruled out signing convicted rapist Ched Evans, who was briefly linked to Hibs in Malta. The former Sheffield United striker is seeking a return to football having served half of a five-year prison sentence. Meanwhile former Malta international Daniel Bogdanovic and Malta goalkeeper Justin Haber, who both played with Mr Evans at Sheffield United, believe their former teammate should be given a second chance. Photo: PA

Former international footballer Daniel Bogdanovic and Malta goalkeeper Justin Haber, who both played with Ched Evans at Sheffield United, believe their former teammate should be given a second chance.

“We all make mistakes,” Mr Bogdanovic, who has played with a host of English clubs and currently turns out for Gozitan club Xewkija Tigers, told Times of Malta.

Mr Bogdanovic, 34, was good friends with Mr Evans when the two were at Sheffield United in season 2010-11. The club was at the time sponsored by the Malta Tourism Authority.

“We were good friends and roommates,” Mr Bogdanovic said. “He signed for Sheffield United a year before I joined in 2010.”

Asked about the controversy surrounding Mr Evans and his failed attempt at returning to football after being convicted of rape, Mr Bogdanovic insisted the case was blown out of proportion by the English media.

“What happened on that night is only known by him and the girl... Perhaps, if Ched hadn’t been a famous footballer, I don’t think we would have even heard of this story.”

Mr Bogdanovic said the bottom line was that Mr Evans had paid for his actions. Prison was meant to be a correctional facility not a reclusion centre, he added.

“Even murderers have been given the opportunity to start a new life but Ched is being denied this chance despite spending two-and-a-half years in prison. I’m not justifying what he has allegedly done but, as a human being, he deserves a second chance.” Mr Bogdanovic said he did not believe the prison authorities would have sanctioned Mr Evans’s release halfway into his five-year jail term if they were not convinced he was on the right track. He also doubted Mr Evans’s guilt.

I’m not justifying what he has allegedly done but, as a human being, he deserves a second chance

“Ched is a good lad as far as I’m concerned. There is little to say about his footballing abilities as he was a very good player.

“He was still very young at the time but he was kind-hearted, one of the favourite players in the dressing room. Up to this day, I still have my doubts about his guilt.”

Former Malta international Daniel Bogdanovic. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

But Mr Bogdanovic understood the clubs’ reluctance to take Mr Evans on board because the matter was “a boiling potato”.

“Clubs know their image would take a battering if they offered a contract to someone who has been convicted of rape.”

The controversy over whether Mr Evans, who has made 13 appearances for Wales, should be allowed to resume his footballing career after being convicted of rape surfaced in Malta over the weekend.

Reports had emerged that Steve Vaughan, who has close connections with Hibernians, made Mr Evans an offer to join the BOV Premier League leaders until the end of the season with an option to extend the contract for another year.

Their hopes were shattered on Saturday evening when a spokesman for the English Ministry of Justice said the strict conditions imposed on sex offenders “effectively rules out working abroad”.

Mr Bogdanovic sounded a cautious note when asked to give his views on Hibs’ pursuit of Evans.

“He has been out of the game for two-and-a-half years and that is a long time,” he said. “Evans certainly had the talent but players need time to regain their best condition after spending time on the sidelines.”

Malta goalkeeper Justin Haber. Photo: Paul Zammit Cutajar

Mr Haber, the Birkirkara and Malta goalkeeper who was also on the books of Sheffield United when Evans joined the club, echoed Mr Bogdanovic’s sentiments.

“Evans was a very good player and a hard trainer,” Mr Haber said.

Mr Evans joined Sheffield United from Manchester City for a substantial fee in the region of £3 million at the time and Mr Haber recalled the perception of the young player as “somewhat flashy”.

“He was young, good-looking and was earning a lot of money but for us he was just a normal guy. In my opinion, this is not about giving Evans a second chance; he just deserves to play football again. If he’s not allowed to do what he does best, then the time he spent in prison wouldn’t have served its purpose.”

Former striker Ched Evans when he played for Sheffield United, who were sponsored by visitmalta.com

Muscat called Hibs over Evans

Some were surprised that the Prime Minister tweeted about the Ched Evans controversy on Saturday while others commended him for taking a stand.

Few, however, knew that he had actually taken the time to call Hibernians FC in person.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister confirmed that Joseph Muscat had called Hibs president Tony Bezzina but clarified that it was merely a courtesy call to inform the club – which is planted in a Labour heartland and Dr Muscat’s own constituency – of the stand he would be taking.

“The Prime Minister felt he should inform the club that he would be taking the stand he did, before the tweet actually went out,” the spokesman said.

The club president at first denied there had been a phone call but then called the newspaper back to confirm he had spoken to the Prime Minister, possibly when he found out that the Office of the Prime Minister had acknowledged the phone call.

“The Prime Minister called to say he would be taking the stand he did. It wasn’t as though he told us what to do but he felt he should call to inform us and I actually appreciated it,” Mr Bezzina said.

Naturally, he maintained the stand taken by the club but was keen to point out that ultimately, neither he nor the executive committee had actually approved anything. “I still cannot understand why there has been this national storm, especially since it was all based on speculation,” he said.