All those who love the beautiful game must find themselves deeply troubled by what is happening to football in Malta.

After foisting himself on the local football scene, Joseph Muscat is trying to use football for his own nefarious ends by clinging to the chairmanship of the Malta Premier League.

Muscat is a former prime minister who resigned in shame years after Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder.

The man who promised to bring about a ‘culture of resignations’ should have resigned immediately after Daphne revealed that his close associates opened secret companies in Panama.

In 2021, a public inquiry into Daphne’s 2017 death found Muscat and his cabinet had to bear responsibility after creating a “culture of impunity”. The report said: “The tentacles of impunity then spread to other regulatory bodies and the police, leading to a collapse in the rule of law.”

The inquiry said it was clear that Daphne’s assassination was either intrinsically or directly linked to her investigative work as a journalist.

Daphne’s alleged killers were indicted, and some of them admitted to their crimes and are serving jail time.

This came about only through the sheer hard work and sense of duty of upright law enforcers in Malta and abroad, despite the Labour government’s obstacles.

Muscat is now facing charges of bribery, money laundering, fraud, corruption in public office and conspiracy to set up a criminal organisation in the €400 million public hospitals heist. This should without doubt prompt any football-loving individual to step aside from public roles.

Any person with a shred of decency would resign in order not to tarnish the game and the organisation they chair.

Muscat’s persistence in holding on to his position reeks of hubris and blatant disregard for the reputation of Maltese football.

This decision is not only offensive but also a glaring example of the moral and ethical rot that is consuming our nation’s leadership and now threatens to poison a sport beloved by so many.

By orchestrating a vote among the premier club presidents, Muscat placed these people in an untenable position. He is manipulating the situation to be able to say that it was the club presidents who wanted him to stay.

Muscat’s actions continue to embarrass Malta on multiple fronts.

First, through the corrupt activities exposed in judicial inquiries and the courts, and, now, by eroding the integrity of Malta’s most popular sport.

We must demand higher standards from those who lead us, both in politics and in sports- Eddie Aquilina

The role of a chair in any sport is to embody the values of fairness, respect for the rules and fair play. How can we expect our young athletes to observe these values when the head of the Malta Premier League is charged with bribery, fraud and criminal conspiracy?

By clinging to his position, Muscat sends a dangerous message that personal ambition and power overcome fairness and decency.

It is high time for Muscat to do the right thing or be made to do the right thing. He must step down from his position as chairperson of the Malta Premier League.

We deserve public organisations that prioritise the common good over the personal interest of people facing criminal charges.

I call upon the premier club presidents and the wider Maltese community to take a stand.

We must demand higher standards from those who lead us, both in politics and in sports. Muscat’s continued presence as chair is a red card offence, and, for the sake of Malta’s reputation and the future of our football, he must be sent off the pitch.

This is not a VAR decision: it is clear that such a person cannot lead our premier league.

In the absence of that, the Malta Football Association should refuse to recognise his position until the courts decide his fate. It is the right thing to do, for the good of the game and for the good of Malta.

There is no point in the MFA copying and promoting fancy slogans from UEFA and FIFA only to then remain silent when it really matters.

It is time to take a stand.

Time to show Muscat a red card.