The Malta FA came down heavily on Nadur Youngsters yesterday after ordering them to play in the GFA Division Two next season besides handing the former Gozitan champions a hefty €4,000 fine for their involvement in an attempted bribery case ahead of a key league fixture last season.
In their ruling, the Malta FA board to adjudicate charges relating to bribery and illegal betting in football said they had no doubt that former Nadur Youngsters FC secretary Anthony Sam Portelli was in-volved and guilty of the charge of a corrupt act or practice prior to the match against rivals Xewkija Tigers.
The charge said on February 7 “Portelli offered an amount of consideration to Mr Peter Buttigieg, player of Xewkija Tigers FC, with the intention that such player in any manner whatsoever, influences or changes in an unsporting manner the normal course of the result of the said match and that of the match between the same teams of the 22nd March”.
Portelli was handed a life ban from all activities of the MFA and the GFA.
In February, Portelli and George Joseph Sultana were sentenced to four months in prison, suspended for two years, and fined €1,165 each.
They pleaded guilty to attempting to illegally influence the result of the match between Nadur and Xewkija.
Nadur immediately removed Portelli from the committee and issued a statement saying that any illegal action had been carried out by individuals acting of their own accord, without the club’s knowledge.
However, the board of investigation yesterday pointed out that in terms of the MFA rules, a club is found guilty when any of its officials were convicted of football corruption.
In a statement, the board, chaired by Joseph M. Azzopardi, said corruption is a malady and decisions have to be tough to counter the problem hindering the sport.
“Those responsible in dealing with such cases cannot be lenient in their sentences,” the board said.
“Rules must be observed at all times. Some decisions are difficult to take but necessary to make sure that there will be no repetitions and the problem is done with once and for all.”
Xewkija won the Gozitan league last month and Nadur were the runners-up.
The record for most championship wins in the GFA is held by the Youngsters with 11 titles, the same as Victoria Hotspurs.