The match-fixing cases the Malta Football Association is having to deal with lately and this week's decision to suspend the Premier League championship have thrown the national game into disarray.
For many, the decision to start the league with the participation of two teams facing accusations of having been involved in match-fixing was totally mistaken.
Football in Malta is now risking serious consequences as a result of the instability in the league and this was compounded on Monday when the MFA council voted unprecedently in favour of suspending the championship, at least until September 17. Football fans hope the situation would return to normal by then and solutions are found.
Vittoriosa Stars, one of the teams embroiled in the match-fixing case, were demoted to Division One having already played one match in the Premier League. That result was declared null but Marsaxlokk, the other team facing bribery charges, have already played twice and the decision on their future is expected to be announced shortly by the independent Board to Investigate Corrupt Practices.
Vittoriosa Stars were thrown out of the Premier League on August 24, a decision the board should have taken weeks before, especially bearing in mind that two of the culprits had been given suspended jail terms and fined in court after admitting their guilt way back in December. It is hard to understand what could have delayed MFA action for so long in the circumstances.
A few years back in Italy, the country's football federation faced a similar situation but of wider proportions with renowed clubs being involved in a bribery scandal that rocked the football-mad peninsula from its seams.
Things were done differently,with no matches being played until the process of justice was complete and the final verdicts delivered. The league then got underway without a hitch, albeit with some teams starting with a handicap of points and the mighty Juventus omitted from the Serie A altogether.
The same could have been done here but the MFA for some reason thought otherwise and president Joe Mifsud hit back aggressively at the annual general meeting last July when replying to accusations that the MFA was dragging its feet in the match-fixing cases. The MFA, he insisted, was following the principle of natural justice.
One could hardly argue with such line of policy but it would have been wiser for the MFA to delay the start of the 2009-10 championship and avoid the embarrassing situation that the football organisation is now being faced with. If antyhing, this would also have been in line with what Dr Mifsud said only on Wednesday, that the MFA is doing its utmost to clean up the game in view of what happened. First do the clean up and then let the championship start, free from any shadows of wrongdoing.
It was difficult to see the Premier League being contested by nine teams or even fewer this season. On Monday, the Premier League and Division One club delegates made it a point to let it be known that they were against the association's decision to carry on playing as if nothing was happening.
Once the MFA had taken its time to act decisively, there was little else it could do but suspend the Premier League. Now, all involved should ensure that no time is lost and that when the MFA council reconvenes on September 17 the right decisions are made. For the sake of the game, the MFA cannot be caught offside again.