By Andrew Warshaw
August 28 – The international players’ union, FIFPro, has expressed its concern over UEFA’s decision to ban Malta’s Kevin Sammut for 10 years for match-fixing, a punishment that has effectively ended the 31-year-old’s career.
The Valletta midfielder, who fiercely protests his innocence, was found to have been guilty of fixing a 2008 European Championship qualifier against Norway, who won the game 4-0 with three goals in the last 18 minutes.
Sammut, who was substituted at half time, was one of three players cited by UEFA’s Control and Disciplinary Body but the only one sanctioned.
The case followed an inquiry by European football’s governing body into claims made by members of a Croatian gambling syndicate which was convicted of match-fixing last year in a long-running trial in Bochum, Germany – the first in Europe to really blow the lid on the issue and catapult it into the public domain.
The suspension of Sammut is understood to be the result of accusations made by Marijo Cvrtak (pictured below), reportedly a former member of the syndicate; as a result, FIFPro has claimed UEFA’s case was based largely on unreliable evidence.
“The suspension follows accusations made by…a former member of a gambling syndicate who was sentenced in 2011 by the court of Bochum, Germany, for manipulating matches,” said FIFPro.
“To what extent can this accuser with a criminal background be trusted?
“The question is justified as to whether the sentence imposed on Kevin Sammut is in proportion to that imposed on the person who is said to have approached him to manipulate the match.
“A 10-year suspension is an extremely severe sentence.
“The average duration of a professional footballer’s career is 10 years.”
The union added it was highly unlikely Sammut was the only person involved in the affair.
“FIFPro is troubled about the legal proceedings [and] wonders whether UEFA is sufficiently equipped for such a trial,” it suggested
“For FIFPro, it seems improbable that Kevin Sammut, if guilty, was the only person involved in this affair.
“It frequently emerges that more people, both within football and outside it, are involved in match-fixing.
“FIFPro is against any form of manipulation in professional football but…argues for a fair legal procedure with proportionate sanctions for everybody concerned, in particular the professional footballer.”
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