Following the publication of the decision of the Malta FA Protests Board which did not uphold the protest by Hibernians FC over the ineligibility of Christian Rutjens, the club issued a statement in which they called the Malta FA and its General Secretary to assume responsibility for the mistake which was committed by the association at the time the player moved from Floriana to Foggia in Italy as the suspension he was yet to serve had not been indicated.

However in a statement by the Malta FA, the association said that Hibernians FC had failed to present evidence and that all decisions of the Board of Protests are final and binding on all parties concerned.

In a statement earlier on Thursday, Hibernians said the Board recognised that the fact that the player did not serve the entire suspension that he had to serve according to the regulations. This, they said, created a serious precedent against the integrity of the game.

Hibernians added that the Protest Board declared that the MFA admitted that it made a mistake as it had failed to indicate in the TMS system that the player had a suspension to serve, adding that this admission by the MFA regarding its serious shortcomings was not made in the hearing before the MFA Protest Board, and therefore, it was presumably made in private without the clubs participating in the hearing having the opportunity confront this statement during the board meeting.

The Paolites said that with the decision of the Board, the club will be suffering the consequences of the the mistake made the Malta FA and in the light of this fact, they were expecting what the reaction of the Malta FA will be, what decisions will be taken, including how the General Secretary will assume responsibility.

B’referenza għad-deċiżjoni motivata tal-Malta FA Protest Board tal-1 ta’ Frar 2024, jirrizulta li l-Klabb tagħna ippreżenta għadd ta’ dokumenti, u għamel referenza dettaljata għar-regolamenti tal-MFA, tal-FIFA, u d-deċiżjonijiet tal- Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Fil-mertu, il-Klabb tagħna ngħata r-raġun tant li l-Malta FA Protest Board irrikonoxxa illi l-plejer ma skontax is-sospensjoni kollha li huwa kellu jiskonta skont ir-regolamenti. B’hekk, inħoloq preċedent serju kontra l-integrità tal-logħba.
Huwa prinċipju sagrosant ta’ dritt sportiv li klabb huwa dejjem responsabbli għall-eġilibilità tal-player tiegħu, kif sostnut fir-regoli tal-MFA, tal-FIFA u f’numru kbir ta’ deċiżjonijiet tal-CAS. Dawn ġew ilkoll mgħoddija lill-Bord, li iżda iddeċieda mod ieħor.
Fid-deċiżjoni tal-Malta FA Protest Board, intqal bla ebda riservi li l-MFA ammettiet illi għamlet żball, minħabba li naqset milli tindika fis-sistema TMS li l-Plejer kellu sospensjoni x’jiskonta. Il-Klabb josserva illi din l-ammissjoni tal-MFA dwar in-nuqqasijiet gravi tagħha ma saritx fis-seduta quddiem l-MFA Protest Board, u allura, saret preżumibiliment fil-privat mingħajr mal-klabbs parteċipi fis-smigħ kellhom l-opportunità jikkonfrontaw din l-istqarrija waqt is-seduta tal-Board.
Bid-deċiżjoni tal-Board, l-iżball li ammettiet li għamlet l-MFA se jkun qiegħed ibatih il-Klabb tagħna.
Fid-dawl tal-fatt illi dan il-każ kollu twieled minn żball gravi tal-Assoċjazzjoni, il-Klabb qiegħed jistenna r-reazzjoni tal-istess MFA u d-deċiżjonijiet tagħha dwar dan, inkluż kif se jġorr ir-responsabbiltà is-Segretarju Generali.
Fl-aħħarnet il-klabb tagħna jirriserva d-dritt li jieħu dawk l-passi kollha neċessarji li għandu jieħu biex jissalvagwardja l-interessi tiegħu.

Meanwhile the Malta FA issued a statement in which they said that all documentation related to the transfer of the player in question from Floriana to Foggia, indicating that the player had no pending suspension, was sent to both parties a week before the hearing. However, Hibernians failed to present such evidence. Therefore it was incorrect to give the impression that there was no full disclosure of the circumstances by the association.

The association added that based on Article 64(13) of the Statute, all decisions of the Board of Protests are final and binding on all parties concerned and therefore, the Association will not be commenting on the case any more.

L-Assoċjazzjoni tagħmel referenza għal stqarrija maħruġa aktar kmieni llum minn Hibernians FC b’rabta mad-deċiżjoni tal-Bord tal-Protesti tal-1 ta’ Frar 2024.

Id-dokumentazzjoni kollha marbuta mat-trasferiment tal-player in kwistjoni minn Floriana lejn Calcio Foggia 1920 f’Jannar 2023, li kienet tindika li l-player ma kellu l-ebda sospensjoni pendenti, intbagħtet liż-żewġ partijiet fil-protest ġimgħa qabel is-smigħ, jiġifieri fil-25 ta’ Jannar 2024.

Barra minn hekk, il-klabb kien fil-libertà li jtella’ xhieda anki mill-amministrazzjoni tal-Assoċjazzjoni waqt is-smigħ, kif inizjalment kien indika li bi ħsiebu jagħmel.

Għaldaqstant, huwa skorrett li tingħata l-impressjoni li ma kienx hemm ‘disclosure’ sħiħa taċ-ċirkostanzi tal-każ min-naħa tal-Assoċjazzjoni.

Pjuttost, il-verifika tal-fatti kif ġraw hija xhieda tal-indipendenza tal-Bord mill-istess amministrazzjoni.

Abbażi tal-Artiklu 64(13) tal-Istatut, id-deċiżjonijiet kollha tal-Bord tal-Protesti huma finali u jorbtu lill-partijiet kollha kkonċernati u b’hekk l-Assoċjazzjoni mhux se tkun qed tikkummenta aktar fuq il-każ.