Hamrun Spartans deducted seven points, fined €10,000

Hamrun-SpartansThe Malta Football Association announced that the Board to Adjudicate Charges Relating to Bribery and Illegal Betting in Football took a decision in the cases against Elton Borg and Julian Friggieri and against Hamrun Spartans Football Club.

With regards to Hamrun Spartans, the Board considered the fact that the club lost the seven matches in question, stating that this showed clearly that whoever was involved did not have the club’s interest in mind and that someone was using Hamrun Spartans for other purposes at the detriment of the club.

The Board noted that the current committee of Hamrun Spartans was not involved in these acts which the club pleaded guilty at an early stage. The latter fact was given particular weight by the board which said that it would be unjust if this was not taken into consideration.

Therefore the board decided to fine Hamrun Spartans €10,000 and deduct seven points at the start of the BOV First Division League 2013/14.

The actual decision:

“Il-Bord qies illi, kif sewwa indika l-avukat difensur tal-club (Hamrun Spartans FC), is-seba’ loghbiet imsemmija fl-akkuza, il-Hamrun tilfuhom kollha (dwar dan il-fatt kien hemm qbil bejn il-partijiet) – minn dawn il-loghbiet il-club ma rebahx loghba wahda u f’ dak l-istagun partikolari il-club gie relegat.

Dan il-fatt jaghmilha cara li min kien wara dawn il-manuvri ma kellux l-interess tal-club f’ mohhu. L-iskop ta’ min kien qed iwettaq dan il-hazen ma kienx dak li Hamrun jirbhu loghob jew jirbhu xi league. Min wettaq il-hazen anzi uza lil Hamrun Spartans sabiex jilhaq skopijiet ohra anke a skapitu tal-istess Hamrun.

Il-Bord qies illi f’ dawn il-loghobiet indikati fl-akkuza il-club ta’ Hamrun Spartans qala’ tlieta u tletin goal (33) u dan meta f’ dak l-istagun il-club qala’ total ta’ tmienja u tmenin (88) goal – dawn kienu statistici moghtija mill-avukat tal-Club u mhux kontradetti mill-MFA.

Il-Bord jinnota li il-kumitat attwali ta’ Hamrun ma kienx involut fit-twettieq tal-fatti li dwarhom il-Hamrun ammetta l-akkuzi. Madanakollu kemm Julian Friggieri kif ukoll Elton Borg kienu membri tal-kumitat ta’ Hamrun Spartans meta allegatament wettqu l-akkuzi li bihom huma gew akkuzati.

Illi intant Hamrun Spartans ghazlu li jammettu l-akkuzi migjuba kontra taghhom fi stadju bikri hafna u dan jirrifletti fuq is-serjeta tal-kumitat kif kompost illum. Dan il-fatt ghandu jinghata piz kbir. Gia huwa hazin ghall-club li membru fil-kumitat tieghu jinvolvi ruhu f’ attivita ta’ korruzzjoni – dak il-hazen jikber jekk il-club, wara li jinqabdu il-persuni involuti, jipprova jipprotegihom.

Dan il-Bord ihoss li ghalkemm jinhtieg li tigi inflitta piena fuq il-Club, ghax hekk jirrikjedu ir-regolamenti, tkun qed issir ingustizzja ohra mal-club jekk tali piena ma tiehux qies tal-ammissjoni bikrija tal-club u tal-fatt li il-hazen li kien qed isir kien qed jippenalizza lill-istess club ulterjorment. Mhux biss il-club kien qed jigi imheggeg bl-involviment ta’ membri tal-kumitat tieghu f’ attivita kriminuza imma ukoll din l-attivita kienet qed twassal sabiex il-club jitlef il-loghob li kien qed jilghab u dan b’ margni kbir.

Kieku il-club ma weriex umilta u ma ammettiex l-akkuzi dedotti kontra tieghu f’ dan l-istadju bikri, u kieku il-club iddecieda li jirkeb fuq il-karru jew jiddefendi lil xi membri tal-kumitat tieghu li setghu wettqu xi hazen, allura il-piena kienet tkun relegazzjoni ta’ divizjoni jew tnejn oltre telf ta’ punti u/jew multa. Dan qed jinghad anke bhala avviz car ghal min bi hsiebu jimbarka fuq din it-triq perikoluza. Dan qed jinghad ukoll sabiex tinftiehem id-differenza fil-piena inflitta f’ dan il-kaz u dik inflitta f’ kazijiet precedenti.

Imma tenut kont ta’ dak indikat hawn fuq, fic-cirkostanzi attwali, dan il-Bord ihoss li piena xierqa ghal kaz odjern, ghalkemm mhux wahda massima, xorta ghandha tkun wahda li tirrifletti il-gravita ta’ dak li gara – ghalhekk il-piena li qed tigi inflitta hi dik ta’ multa ta’ Euro 10,000.00 u tnaqqis ta’ seba’ punti ghall-istagun li jmiss.

Dan il-Bord jaghti gharfien ghal hidma maghmula mill-Integrity Officer tal-MFA sabiex igestixxi ix-xoghol, xejn facli, li jinvestiga u jaqbad kazijiet ta’ korruzzjoni. Din il-hidma trid tibqa’ tigi sostnuta sabiex jingheleb il-kankru li qed bil-mod il-mod inawwar u jeqred il-football, hafna sport iehor u ghalhekk ukoll lis-socjeta in generali.

Filwaqt li clubs li jipprotegu lill-membri korrotti fil-clubs taghhom ma jistghux jistennew hniena, dawk l-individwi fi clubs li jghinu sabiex jitnaddaf il-football ghandhom isibu l-appogg necessarju sabiex il-loghoba tibqa hajja.”

Meanwhile in the case against Elton Borg and Julian Friggieri, the board decided that since both resigned voluntarily from football-related activity for life and in an irrevocable way, it was accepting their decision since it is equivalent to the sentence given for such cases.

“Wara li ra l-verbali tal-avukati rispettivi jiddeciedi li la darba iz-zewg akkuzati Julian Friggieri u Elton Borg irrizenjaw minn kull attivita kalcisika u dan b’ mod definittiv u aktar importanti b’ mod irrevokabbli;

U stante ghalhekk li huma ma ghadhomx membri fl-Assocjazzjoni u/jew f’ kull assocjazzjoni affiljata, dan il-Bord jiddikjara li huwa ma ghadx ghandu gurisdizzjoni fuq l-istess persuni li issa ma ghadhomx u ma jistghux ikollhom affiljazzjoni mal-MFA jew ma’ assocjazzjonijiet affiljati maghha jew fuqha.

In vista ta’ dan u tal-fatt li il-piena li seta’ jinfliggi dan il-Bord kienet dik ta’ interdizzjoni perpetwa minn kull attivita kalcistika – haga li iz-zewg akkuzati ghamlu volontarjament fi stadju bikri tal-proceduri – ghaldaqstant il-Bord qed jaccetta ir-rizenja perpetwa u irrevokabbli tal-akkuzati u qed jiddikjara il-procedimenti fil-konfront taghhom bhala ezawriti.

Dana kollu hu minghajr pregudizzju ghal kull prova li tista tingieb fil-konfront tal-akkuzati l-ohra u b’ dan li kull prova li setghet tingieb dwar l-istess akkuzati Julian Friggieri u Elton Borg xorta wahda tibqa permissibbli u tista tingieb sabiex isservi bhala prova fil-konfront tal-akkuzati l-ohra.”

The Board was made up of chairman Dr. Raymond Zammit (Chairman), Joseph M. Azzopardi, Dr. Chris Grima, Ronnie Abela and Ronnie Micallef.

The case against Massimo Grima and Roderick Fenech continues in the coming days.