Kevin Sammut ban reduced to ten years

20110417-114224.jpgThe Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) partially upheld Kevin Sammut’s appeal against a life-ban by UEFA reducing it to a ten-year ban.

Sammut had originally been handed a ten-year suspension from exercising any football-related activity by UEFA’s Control and Disciplinary Body on 17 August 2012 for breaching UEFA’s principles of integrity and sportsmanship, a decision which was appealed against by the player himself, as well as by the UEFA Disciplinary Inspector, who requested a life ban to be imposed. However in December 2012, the player was banned from exercising any football-related activity for life by the UEFA Appeals Body.

The match under investigation was the UEFA European Championship Group C qualifying match between Norway and Malta (4-0) in Oslo on 2 June 2007.

Sammut had denied colluding with a fixing syndicate to help manipulate the result for a betting scam.

UEFA prosecuted the 33-year-old Sammut using convicted fixers Ante Sapina and Marijo Cvrtak as witnesses. Sapina and Cvrtak are serving five-year prison terms. A court in Germany reduced their sentences by six months in April for co-operating with authorities.

In a statement, UEFA welcomed the decision which confirmed its initial decision to suspend the former Malta international for ten years.