Hamrun Spartans Declared Champions as Malta Premier League Ends Prematurely

The Malta Football Association (MFA) recently made a tough call regarding the future of the country’s football leagues as organized sports remain banned due to COVID-19. According to Latvian bookmaker news, Hamrun Spartans have been crowned the 2020-21 Premier League Champions according the introduction of new rules last year.

With two back-to-back seasons ending abruptly courtesy of COVID-19, the authorities were left with no choice but to halt the competition considering the legal notices by health authorities which banned organised sport. The top brass met on Friday to discuss the present situation and the collective decision was to terminate competitions.

The Future of Maltese Organized Sports

The future of the Challenge and the Premier League was at the forefront of Friday’s discussion as the EXCO members were tasked with taking a call on whether to halt the two prime tiers of Maltese football for the remaining portion of the season.

Since Premier League teams were not cleared for resuming training this week, which would have greenlit the championship from resuming in May, there was no option other than to terminate competitions.

Malta FA had drafted new guidelines to the rulebook last year following the competition being halted mid-way. The EXCO members relied on these rules to decide the fate of the Premier League standings.

The MFA could award the title, European spots and relegation since more than 75% of the fixtures were played in the current season. Hamrun Spartans won the title since they were clearly leading the boards with five points. The team won the Premier League for the eighth time.

While Birkirkara, Gzira United, and Hibernians will compete in the UEFA Conference League this year, Tarxien Rainbows, Senglea Athletic, Zejtun Corinthians, and Lija Athletic were relegated from the competition.

MFA Dismayed by COVID-19 Measures

The MFA expressed its dismay at the current situation. Its official statement released late last week read, “All efforts thus far have been thrown away with the difficult decision to enforce the current prohibition on contact sports”.

The MFA further explained that the total disregard of sport as a profession by the decision-makers is highly troubling and undermines all efforts to improve the level of competence among the players representing the nation.