A wheelchair user has voiced his concern about the fact that Malta’s national football stadium in Ta’ Qali does not have a sheltered area from where people with disabilities can follow proceedings.

Francesco Nicotra, who has a Maltese mother and a Sicilian father, became aware of the issue when he tried to book a ticket to watch the Malta-Italy match in March.

He reached out to the Malta Football Association and asked for an accessible place that was sheltered, in case of rain. But he was told that the wheelchair-accessible part of the stadium did not have shelter and, in case of rain he would have to wear a jacket or hold an umbrella.

“I’ve been in a wheelchair for 30 months following a motorcycle accident,” he said.

“What people don’t realise is that for someone in a wheelchair a rain jacket does not cover their legs. Also, while I can hold an umbrella, since I still can move my arms, some other wheelchair users cannot do this freely. I spoke out not just for myself but in the name of people with disabilities.”

Malta FA admits issue

Nicotra, 29, first voiced his frustration on a Facebook post on Are You Being Served. When contacted he said that the Malta FA had reached out to him and explained that the stadium was an old building.

Angelo Chetcuti, from the association, said this was not the first time such case cropped up.

He explained that the stadium was built in the 1980s and the only area that had shelter was the area known as the Enclosure.

The wheelchair-accessible area was at the Millennium Stand which is not covered. The Enclosure did have an accessible platform, but visibility of football matches is not deemed so good.

He said that covering the Millennium Stand would come at a massive expense.

The Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD) noted when contacted that it had filed a court case against the Malta Football Association in 2013 in connection with the lack of accessible wheelchair enclosures at the National Stadium.

“The commission argued that the MFA was in breach of the Equal Opportunities Act,” a spokesperson said.

“However, a court decision ruled the MFA was not guilty of discriminatory behaviour. The commission appealed the decision in 2017. To date, we are still waiting for the courts.”

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