Pembroke Athleta team manager arraigned in court on match-fixing attempt

Pembroke Athleta team-manager Uchenna Anyanwu was arraigned in court on Monday, accused of trying to bribe Mosta FC players. Pembroke met Mosta in a clash between the two bottom teams in the BOV Premier League on Saturday, winning 5-0.

Thirty-year old Anyanwu, who played for several clubs in Malta and Gozo, pleaded not guilty to the charges and requested bail.

The court denied bail with Magistrate Joe Mifsud saying that match fixing was amazing the values reflected by sports and that it was “like a cancer at the heart of football.”

In a statement, the Malta Football Association said it took cognisance of the criminal charges brought earlier today against Uchenna Anyanwu.

“At this stage, the Malta FA President has requested the Association’s Prosecutor to immediately initiate an investigation into the allegations as well as to issue a temporary suspension of the person concerned with immediate effect as stipulated in the Association’s regulations.”