Leaders Hibernians face tough test against Birkirkara

● Paolites can possibly be declared champions if they win and Balzan, Valletta falter miserably Mosta FC deducted five points and fined €5,000

The Bank of Valletta Premier League enters the 31st round (only three matches remain to be played) this weekend with league leaders Hibernians possibly being declared champions tomorrow evening.

The Paolites, in fact, will be interested spectators at the National Stadium this afternoon, when their only two challengers, Balzan and Valletta will be in action. If these two falter miserably, then Hibernians will know that a victory against Birkirkara tomorrow will give them the title.

It is clear that Balzan and Valletta must win their matches today to keep their remote hopes alive.

At the other end of the table, luckless Pembroke were given a lifeline this week after companions-indistress Mosta had five points reduced from their tally.

The difference therefore has now been reduced to just three points with Mosta on 14 and Pembroke on 14.

Only one team is being relegated this year. The one that finishes in 11th place will take part in the playoff against the fourth placed team in the first division.The Paolites are aware that they will be facing a tough test against Birkirkara. The latter have shown a vast improvement of late and with three matches to go they are still eyeing a third place finish which will guarantee them a place in next season’s Europa League.

At present, they are four points behind third placed Valletta in the standings. But not only do they have to win tomorrow against Hibernians, but they also have to obtain maximum points from their remaining matches against Gzira and Floriana whilst hoping that Valletta continue to falter today and against Tarxien and Hamrun in their remaining matches.

The Paolites have maintained their consistency despite that defeat against Valletta a few weeks ago. With three matches to go, they are enjoying a healthy five-point lead which seems to be difficult to bridge for either Balzan and Valletta.

Balzan could expect a tough challenge from Tarxien Rainbows whose only interest in the season remains their participation in the FA Trophy where they are in the semifinals together with Floriana, Sliema and Gozitan side SK Victoria Wanderers.

Balzan know that only a victory will keep their hopes alive. If they win, they will then hope that Birkirkara reopen the title challenge tomorrow by beating the Paolites. And that would make for a very interesting finale to the competition with just two points separating them from Hibernians and with two matches to go.

Meanwhile, Valletta must also win to reduce the gap to three points from Hibernians, should the Paolites lose their clash against Birkirkara tomorrow.

The Citizens made two false steps in their last two matches from which they took just two points from draws against Gzira and Birkirkara.

They are now under a certain amount of pressure not only to remain in contention for the title, but also not to let Birkirkara overtake them in third place.

The citizens must be considered favourites to beat St Andrews, but with the latter now completely safe from relegation, they could offer stiff resistance - they have proved to be tough opponents for any kind of opposition.

The Floriana-Gzira and SliemaMosta clashes are of no particular interest. They could serve both the Greens and the Wanderers as preparation for their forthcoming Trophy commitments, though Mosta are in dire straits once again folling the MFA Control and Disciplinary Board decision to have their points reduced by five.

P W D L F A Pts Hibernians 30 20 5 5 55 27 65 Balzan 30 18 6 6 61 37 60 Valletta 30 16 11 3 49 22 59 Birkirkara 30 16 7 7 59 28 55 Floriana 30 14 8 8 47 34 50 Sliema 30 13 6 11 42 35 45 St. Andrews 30 8 10 12 39 44 34 Gzira 30 9 5 16 38 47 32 Tarxien 30 7 11 12 35 39 32 Hamrun 30 8 5 17 40 57 29 Mosta 30 6 4 20 24 66 17 Pembroke 30 3 6 21 24 77 14 Mosta - 5 points The Control and Disciplinary Board of the Malta Football Association has looked into the charge brought against Mosta FC who were accused of effecting illegal payments to one of their foreign players who is registered as an ‘amateur’ with the association.

Having analysed the documentary evidence and heard the arguments put forward by the club’s representative, the Control and Disciplinary Board ruled that the money Mosta FC were paying to the said player amounted to a salary rather than a “reimbursement of expenses” in breach of the Malta FA’s Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players.

In light of this, the Board ordered that Mosta FC be deducted five points from their tally in this season’s Premier League and also imposed a fine of €5,000.

Mosta FC can appeal against this decision.