Birds of a feather?

When I heard the news I was shocked.

No, astounded, is the more appropriate verb. “Joseph Muscat (Yes, the Joseph Muscat) to chair the Malta Football Clubs Association”. I immediately thought that’s a bit like appointing Jimmy Savile as Headmaster of the Sacred Heart school for girls. What were those football clubs thinking of? The man voted the globally most corrupt politician, to oversee a body looking after the welfare of all Malta’s football clubs? You have got to be joking.

And then I thought again. Maybe it’s not such a serendipitous notion. I mean, football in these islands has long been associated with some of our more nefarious traits. So perhaps it’s not such a bad fit. Like will tend to gravitate towards like… eventually.

I have a friend who is extremely conversant with the ways of top level footie here in Malta. He used to play for a successful team and he even made it to the national side. He and I used to enjoy a bit of a kick around on some waste land near our homes. Since our enforced retirement (Age and stiffness) from active sport, he has filled me in on some of the more nefarious practices that went on in our version of the “beautiful game”.

We have known for years that bookies will do almost anything to influence not only the result of matches but also the score. And in doing so have roped in some who were actually on the field of play. Semi-professional footballers here are quite well paid these days; but there will always be those who want more and more. Ergo the game will constantly throw up players who will play to the instructions of bookies and their ilk. It is not apparently difficult to throw a game. All you have to do is enlist the complicity of a few key players. The goalkeeper – obviously, plus a key defender, one or two influential midfielders and a shot-shy striker.

My ex-footballer friend has spelt out in graphic detail just how corruption and match fixing could be and indeed was carried out, during his playing days. And yes… he insists it is still going on today. The players who are in on the scam know who is, as well as who is not “in the bag” so there is then a constant and deliberate effort made not to bring the “clean” players into the game. Or at least to prevent any one of them from interfering with the intended progress of the proceedings in favour of the score and result required by the bookies.

But to return to the stupendously stupid decision to appoint an acknowledged shyster and dodgy politician to the post of chairman of the MFCA. This says a hell of a lot about that less than august body. I have in the past voted for Muscat’s party and may well do so again in the future… but not while he is anywhere near it. Politics is and probably always will be a dirty business; so to deliberately politicise a sporting institution in this way is going to be seen as a cynical attempt to drag that institution down into the murky regions occupied by the likes of our unlamented ex prime minister. What in hell’s name were they thinking of?

There is a Youtube channel entitled “Only in Malta”, charting some of our more bizarre and dim-witted traits. This decision by the MFCA should go straight into it.