The manager of a Paceville nightclub was injured so badly during a fight that he might lose an eye, a magistrate was told during the arraignment last night of two men allegedly involved in the fight.

Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera heard how a fight kicked off in Hugo’s bar between some Maltese men and some Arab men when the bouncers and manager of the bar got involved too on Wednesday night.

Luke Farrugia, 24, from Msida and David Gauci, 24, from Buġibba are pleading not guilty to seriously injuring Fabian Camilleri in the eye, while Mr Gauci is pleading not guilty to being an accomplice. The men are also pleading not guilty to slightly injuring Osama Murad.

Defence lawyer Gianluca Caruana Curran protested loudly during the proceedings and complained at how his clients were in the dock but not the six bouncers who beat them up with a bar stool and threw them down a flight of stairs.

He said he expected more from the police officers investigating the case because he had learnt that one of the managers of the club turned up at the police station with the CCTV footage of the incident with no guarantee that it had not been tampered with.

The officers should have gone to the club and retrieved it themselves he added.

Police Inspector Godwin Scerri told the magistrate the accused had attacked the manager with a crowbar leaving him needing surgery. In all likelihood he was going to lose that eye the policeman said.

Magistrate Scerri Herrera ordered an investigation into the incident and told Police Inspectors Godwin Scerri and Luke Bonello to go straight to Hugo’s Bar once the arraignment was over and retrieve any other CCTV footage related to the incident.

The magistrate also immediately opened an inquiry into the incident after learning that it had not been done yet.

The men were remanded in custody.