The government is committed to fight all types of corruption or external influence in sport, it said in a statement.

It said a Bill on preventing corruption in sports, which is expected to replace that which has been in place since 1976 and which is now considered outdated, should be moved in Parliament soon.

Consultation on the Bill has been going on since August.

The new law would redefine corruption in sports to include corruption for illegal gains from bets on sport results, widen the jurisdiction of local courts and increase fines.

Read: Tackling corruption in sports

This was a clear sign that the government adopted a zero tolerance policy towards corruption in sports and protected victims of groups of organised crime which where threatening the integrity of sports all over the world.

The government said it expected the Bill to receive the unanimous support of the House.

European football body UEFA on Tuesday banned six Malta under-21 football players for match-fixing offences in relation to two European qualifying matches played less than two years ago.

And the manager of the Pembroke Athleta football team was on Wednesday condemned to a year's jail term suspended for two years and fined €1,000 after being convicted of attempting to bribe players.

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