Police investigating fixing attempt in Gozo match
Nadur player approached before top clash against Qala
The Malta Police and the Integrity Department of the Malta Football Association are investigating another case of matchfixing, this time in the Gozitan football league, the Times of Malta can confirm.
The match being investigated is the top-of-the-table clash from the GFA Division One between Nadur Youngsters and Qala Saints that was played at the Gozo Stadium last Sunday, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
The match held high stakes as Nadur Youngsters and Qala Saints are currently sharing top spot in the GFA Division on 35 points and the winner would have taken a major step towards lifting the crown at the end of the season
Herman Mula, the Integrity Officer of the Malta Football Association,
confirmed that an investigation has been opened on the case but it is still at a very premature stage.
Sources have confirmed to the Times of Malta that a person has allegedly approached a Nadur Youngsters player in a bid to convince him to throw the match.
Upon receiving this illicit offer, the Nadur Youngsters player abided by the football regulations and informed the top officials of his club about this approach and a report to the police and the Malta FA who immediately opened an investigation.
Sources have also said that the police have a number of recordings that are related to this case.
In a statement, Qala Saints distanced themselves from the incident.
“Nobody from the club or its committee is in any way involved in what is being alleged,” the club said. “We will not defend anyone who may be involved in what is being mentioned.”
The club said that the allegations came from a rival club “which may have ulterior motives.”
This is the second match-fixing case that has come to light in Maltese football in the past few weeks.
The Times of Malta had reported earlier this month that a top official from a Premier League club was being investigated The official involved comes from one of the teams battling for honours in the Premier League and is being investigated after he approached a player of for alleged matchfixing. an opposing team to convince him to throw the match involving the two teams involved.
The investigation has been ongoing for several weeks now with the police working hard to gather information on the case.