An ombudsman dedicated to sports should be set up for people to report match-fixing, sports lawyer Robert Dingli has said.

The ombudsman should investigate claims as a private citizen complaint, Dr Dingli added.

“Players are afraid to come forward to report sports corruption, because they do not currently have adequate protection,” he continued.

A separate entity, such as an ombudsman, would safeguard the individual from being “named and shamed.”

The proposed sports ombudsman would be able to carry out his own investigation, the lawyer and Swieqi United FC vice-president proposed.

He also suggested setting up an anti-corruption investigation board to look into claims of bribery in sports.

READ: Six Malta U21 players banned for match-fixing

Players are often afraid to blow the whistle, since they need to physically go to the police and may even be called as witnesses in court, he said. Dr Dingli expressed his support for proposals put forward by the Malta Football Players Association president Carlo Mamo.

Anonymous reporting system online

Mr Mamo told the Times of Malta that the MFPA would be meeting with the Malta Football Association to look into creating an online application where players can report cases in anonymity.

Players will not need to physically go to the MFA offices or to the police but will be able to file a report from home. This safeguards players from being identified, Mr Mamo said.

Finland is already using this system, he added, saying that Fifpro, (International Federation of Professional Footballers) has offered its support for implementing the service.

TIMES TALK: 'Players are now more interested in fixing a match'

The application would see players input their ID number, username and password along with their personal report. The MFA would then be able to identify the player through his ID number.

'Financial strains put people in a corner'

Swieqi president Justin Fenech said that the under-funding of clubs is a catalyst for match-fixing and bribing.

“People find themselves in a position where they have to fork out money to sustain their football team,” he said.

Teams cannot afford to fall short of the high standards of other clubs because they are competing with others, Dr Fenech added.

The financial strains often “put people in a corner”.

Young players also find themselves in an underworld of corruption in sports, he added. The “culture” is pervasive and ingrained, where players are routinely exposed to illegal activities, Dr Dingli said. But he insisted that those who do not speak out on corruption in the football industry should not be punished. “People are just not comfortable with having their names spread around.”

The law on the prevention of corruption falls short of safeguarding those who speak out, he concluded.

READ: Parties agree on sports corruption bill

Sports corruption bill 

The Bill on preventing corruption in sports, expected to replace the law that dates back to 1976, should be presented in Parliament soon, the government said last week.

Consultation on the Bill has been going on since August. The draft law was presented in February by the Attorney General to the anti-corruption task force led by the MFA.

The new law would cover corruption for illegal gains from sports results.  It would also widen the jurisdiction of law courts and increase fines.

The government said this was a clear sign of its zero tolerance policy toward corruption in sports. Both the government and the Opposition pledged to clamp down on corruption in sports last week. Their statements come days after six members of the Malta U-21 national team were suspended by UEFA over match-fixing.

Four players were sanctioned for not reporting the case to UEFA. Samir Arab was handed a 30-month suspension sentence and Ryan Camenzuli was banned for 18 months.  Players Luke Montebello and Llywelyn Cremona were also barred from the game for a year.

Emmanuel Briffa and Kyle Cesare received a lifetime ban from UEFA for match-fixing offences.

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