Six Maltese under-21 players banned for match-fixing offences

UEFA has banned six Malta under-21 players, two of them for life, following the conclusion of an investigation into match-fixing offences.

 

The sport's governing body in Europe initiated disciplinary action against seven players in relation to possible breaches of Article 12 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations concerning match-fixing.

 

The UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body took action in response to events surrounding the European Under-21 Championship qualifiers against Switzerland and Montenegro in March 2016.

 

Emmanuel Briffa and Kyle Cesare have been issued lifetime bans from all football-related activity for their part in the action.

 

They were found to have “acted in a manner that is likely to exert an unlawful or undue influence on the course and/or result of a match or competition with a view to gaining an advantage for himself or a third party.”

 



Four players have been banned for periods between one and two years: Samir Arab for two years, Ryan Camenzuli for 18 months, and Llewelyn Cremona and Like Montebell for 12 months each.

 

The four were sanctioned for the lesser charge of “not immediately and voluntarily informing UEFA” about being approached about fixing.”

 

The seventh player, Matthew Cremona, is free to play after UEFA “decided to close the disciplinary proceedings.”

 



Last year, two Athlone Town players were banned for a period of 12 months after an FAI disciplinary panel found them to have engaged in match-fixing.

 

Latvian goalkeeper Igors Labuts and Romanian midfielder Dragos Sfrijan are currently appealing their bans.