The Malta Waterpolo Referees Association have announced that they will not be officiating matches involving Sliema ASC teams after the lack of trust shown by the Premier Division club during the recent BOV National League play-off final against Neptunes.

Neptunes beat Sliema 14-10 last Saturday to complete a 2-0 series defeat over the Blues and were crowned as Malta champions for a 20th time.

The defeat has not gone down well with the Sliema ASC clan, who vehemently criticised the officiating team of the final series.

In a statement the referees body said that they were hurt by Sliema ASC’s request to the Aquatic Sports Association to have the final matches of the play-off series refereed by foreign and not Maltese referees.

“The Malta Water Polo Referees Association (‘the Association’) makes reference to the lack of trust which Sliema ASC has reently shown in the Association, going so far as to demand that no Maltese referees officiate in the final matches of the Premier Division of the 2019 Summer League.

“The request appears to to be motivated by insinuations which can be very serious, and which the Malta Water Polo Referees Association does not take lightly. In fact, the Association deplores and condemns not only the lack of trust shown in it, but more so the serious and vexatious allegations made towards it and its Members.

“Such affounded behavior is totally unwarranted and is not tolerated. The Association cannot and will not render its services to a club creating such a hostile climate and making such grave allegations.

“The Association therefore hereby announces that is shall not officiate any matches of Sliema ASC teams, be they senior, age-group of women’s teams. This stand is to commence with immediate effect and shall remain so indefinitely.”

On the other side of the coin, Sliema ASC said in a statement that “referee appointments are strictly within the remit of the ASA, which does not communicate such appointments prior to matches.


“The request for two foreign refs was only based on the presentation of statistical data.”

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