Five Valletta football officials and two Birkirkara players have been acquitted by Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera of inciting people to commit a crime, forming a gang and behaving abusively.

Officials Sergio Zampa, Nicholas Saliba, Sandro Ciliberti, Kevin Gauci, Vincent Tabone and players Paul Fenech and Shaun Bajada had also been charged with swearing, breaching the peace, insulting, provoking and assaulting others, and disobeying police orders.

The players and officials came to blows at the end of the Super Cup final at Ta' Qali last August.

In her judgement, Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera said that as the officials were committee members, they had been at the VIP area legitimately. The players had also been there legitimately as they had to collect their second place medals.

This showed that they had not been there to incite trouble. What happened had been spontaneous and impromptu and the prosecution failed to show that the accused had intended to stir up trouble.

Lawyers Michael and Lucio Sciriha appeared for the officials, Edward Gatt for the players.

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