Midfielder Kevin Sammut known as il-Viper has been given a 10-year suspension by UEFA after he was found guilty of match fixing in the Euro 2008 qualifier between Norway and Malta.

UEFA’s Control and Disciplinary body reached its decision this evening  after hearing Mr Sammut and defenders Stephen Wellman and Kenneth Scicluna, who had also been charged but were acquitted due to lack of evidence.

UEFA said it banned Mr Sammut from any football related activity for 10-years and would be requesting FIFA to extend the ban, to give it a worldwide effect.

The case came to light in May last year after Croatian fraudster Marijo Cvrtak, an ally of Ante Sapina who headed a notorious betting syndicate, testified during his trial in Bochum that he had met with at least three Malta players at an Oslo hotel to rig the Norway-Malta game. He was also heard by the UEFA body today.

In the game, Norway had scored three goals in the last 18 minutes for a 4-0 victory.

While Mr Wellman and Mr Scicluna had played the full 90 minutes, Mr Sammut had been substituted at half time.

The MFA had launched its own independent probe, which it concluded in March. It then passed the findings to UEFA, which had requested to take over the case since the match in question fell under its jurisdiction.

Investigations conducted by two UEFA disciplinary inspectors when they visited Malta in April found more compelling evidence.