Former national football coach Pippo Psaila says the cases of corruption that have just surfaced are just "the tip of the iceberg" but he is upbeat about the upheaval adding that, in the long run, it will benefit the sport.
Mr Psaila, who has been involved in the sports scene since 1976, does not feel that what is happening will damage the game's reputation even if enthusiasts may be shocked at first.
If anything, he deems it positive that, finally, people have started facing charges in court.
"I don't think it's damaging because removing the weeds is always positive. It is surely bad publicity and it would have been better had it not happened at all but it's good that action is being taken within the framework of the Malta Football Association and the Maltese laws. People who are found guilty should be punished and get what they deserve," he says.
He points out that rumours were so widespread over the years that the MFA always urged people to come forward and produce evidence. But that evidence, never came or, at least, it was not solid enough, he quickly adds, pointing out that the association always took a positive stance about the matter.
Veteran sports journalist and former Hibernians FC coach Fr Hilary Tagliaferro echoed Mr Psaila's comments, saying that more education was necessary to teach people, especially young children, the value of sports.
The issue came under the spotlight recently with a number of convictions of players, club officials and referees.
On Tuesday, Marsaxlokk assistant coach Peter Hartshorne and Claude Mattocks, a mid-fielder for the same team, were given a four-month jail term suspended for a year and fined €500 for trying to bribe the goalkeeper of an opposing team.
More allegations of bribery and match-fixing continued to reach the MFA over the past months and these were passed on to the police for investigation.
Fr Hilary, who had instigated the setting up of football nurseries, says news of corruption is very damaging to the football scene.
"Football in Malta has always had this stigma. When these cases came out in the open they confirmed the gossiping that had been going on for several years. We need more education in clubs to teach what sport is all about: the value of sports. Without fair play and honesty, sport does not exist," he says. Fr Hilary notes that, unfortunately, sport is being "taken over by people with money, who get involved for the power and their ego and who, at all costs, want to win trophies to justify their presence there".
Asked whether he thought what was being done was enough, Fr Hilary replies it is never enough.
"It's never enough because it is very difficult to prove and very few people are prepared to flag these cases. Where there is human nature there is corruption. We need more education and nurseries and clubs. The MFA should impose harsh penalties on the people and the clubs involved," he insists.
The recent convictions included that of a referee, Pierre Saliba, who last week was given a suspended jail term after admitting to attempting to fix a decisive match for one of the top six spots in the championship pool.
Mr Saliba was the second referee to be suspended by the MFA. Former referee Joe Attard had also been suspended, as was Albanian coach Ilir Pelinku over an alleged attempt to rig the UEFA Cup game between Marsaxlokk and Croatian team Slaven Belupo last year. In December, two players of Division One club St George's, Andrea Gatt and Lawrence Mizzi, were handed suspended sentences for bribery while Vittoriosa Stars vice-president Manwel Ancilleri is undergoing court proceedings on a similar charge.