Scores of cars have taken over an area of land in Santa Luċija after the local football club leased the site to rental company Sicily by Car. 

Around 60 cars were parked at the site on Wednesday, with more turning up on Thursday. 

Furious residents said the site was previously available for public parking and the move would inconvenience those living in the area.  

They also questioned whether the land – which is administered by government entity SportsMalta and leased to Santa Luċija Football Club – should have been signed over to Sicily by Car in the first place.  

The cars were packed in the space when Times of Malta visited on Thursday. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli.

The Italian car rental franchise is run in Malta by Princess Holdings Ltd, a company owned and directed by car rental entrepreneur Christian Borg, who appeared in court last month to face charges of money laundering and tax fraud.  Borg was also arrested last year and charged in connection with a botched abduction. A court heard how he and his associates allegedly threatened to torture their victim and rape his sister. 

Santa Luċija football club president Adrian Gomez Blanco distanced himself from the agreement, saying it had been drawn up by a colleague, adding that he "didn't know it was Sicily by Car."

"I'm offended that people are calling me just because the tenant has a problem I didn't know about," he said, stressing "all football clubs rent their premises to generate money."

Land leased 'for sports purposes'

A Sports Ministry spokesperson said the land was leased for “sports purposes,” and SportMalta was not notified or asked permission for any change of use. It said it was in contact with the football club “to ensure adherence to the contract.” 

A spokesperson for SportMalta said the lease of land for the parking of rental cars was in breach of its agreement with the football club.

Santa Luċija mayor Charmaine St John said the local council became aware of the arrangement around July and was checking to see if the site could be leased commercially. 

Asked whether she thought it appropriate the site was being used by a company linked to Christian Borg, she stressed that “the issue is whether it should be leased in the first place, not to whom.” 

In a Facebook post on Thursday, the Santa Luċija local council said it had asked the Planning Authority if there had been an application from the football club to commercialise the land. 

When Times of Malta visited the site on Thursday, it found scores of rental cars packed together bumper-to-bumper on the patch of land which, while previously publicly accessible, was now blocked by a barrier at the entrance. 

A barrier was put up earlier this week. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli.

One resident said he was “very angry” at the cars' appearance.

“Residents were ready to start a fight with the people from the company when they came the other day,” he said, stressing that many residents relied on the parking area.  

"It’s a housing estate... I have a child with special needs, and this means finding parking further away,” he said.  

Santa Luċija football club was relegated from the Premier League after five seasons in May.