Court overturns footballer's game fixing conviction, jail term

Footballer Jurgen Pisani has had a 15-month jail sentence quashed after an appeals court overturned a lower court's decision which had convicted him of manipulating a Malta Premier League match in May 2024.

Pisani, a defender who plays for Żabbar St. Patrick, was the captain of Santa Luċija at the time of the controversial fixture.

The criminal charges stemmed from a high-stakes May 2024 match. While their opponents, Birkirkara, had already secured qualification for European competition, Santa Luċija needed a victory to avoid relegation. The match ultimately ended in a 2–2 draw.

Pisani was subsequently accused of manipulating the outcome of the game and failing to report an offence, in breach of the Prevention of Corruption in Sport Act.

Prior to the criminal court proceedings, he had faced a disciplinary inquiry before the Malta Football Association (MFA), where both he and Santa Luċija FC were cleared of any wrongdoing.

During police interrogation, Pisani maintained that he saw nothing unusual during the match. He firmly denied allegations that he and another player, Steve Pisani, had conspired to manipulate the game. Despite his denials, he was arraigned and charged.

Conflicting testimony

The prosecution’s case relied heavily on the testimony of the match's main witness, a player named Maia.He testified that during the game, Jurgen Pisani offered him €2,000 not to score. He further alleged that Steven Pisani, another Santa Luċija player, also told him not to score, though without offering any money.

Taking the stand in his own defence, Pisani denied the allegations entirely. He presented a broadcast recording of the match aired on TVM Sport to demonstrate that he had never approached or spoken to Maia in the manner alleged.

The appeal grounds

Following his initial conviction, Pisani filed an appeal. His defence team argued that the first court’s evaluation of the evidence was legally unsustainable and fell short of the high standard of proof required for a criminal conviction. The appeal specifically challenged the undue weight given to deleted WhatsApp messages and questioned the credibility of the prosecution's star witness.

In its judgment, the Court of Appeal accepted Pisani’s explanation that he deleted WhatsApp chats to hide a planned "gentleman’s club" visit from his wife, reversing the first court's rejection of the claim and noting that the prosecution failed to provide a forensic report proving when the deletion occurred.

Additionally, the court highlighted testimony from MFA Integrity Officer Herman Mula, who admitted he was "not 200% convinced" by the initial report due to a language barrier and noted the MFA delayed its own probe until police filed charges.

Finally, the court pointed out that the prosecution failed to provide official match video, stating that the omission of this "best evidence" must be weighed within the case's wider context.

Pisani (second from right) with his lawyers Franco Debono, Edward Gatt and Adreana Zammit.

The Court of Appeal concluded that, based on the evidence presented, the first court could not have legally and reasonably arrived at a guilty verdict.

Consequently, Judge Neville Camilleri overturned the original judgment, clearing Jurgen Pisani of all criminal guilt and nullifying both his 15-month prison sentence and his sports ban.

Lawyers Edward Gatt, Franco Debono and Adreana Zammit appeared for Jurgen Pisani.