Discussions under way to introduce Football Video Support
The 360 Sports Malta Premier stirred a lot of controversy during the past months. Joseph Muscat, the mastermind behind this revolutionary format, sat down with Valhmor Camilleri on the Sportsdesk podcast, and gave his thoughts on how the first season went and his vision for the future…
When the 360 Sports Malta Premier was launched 12 months ago, few could imagine the impact this would have on the Maltese top-flight clubs, given the increase in the number of matches played, the more balanced nature of the championship and the uncertainty that generated on who would lift the championship crown come the end of the season.
While the format may not have been completely accepted by the thousands of Maltese fans who follow Maltese football, one thing that has certainly been guaranteed is a higher level of excitement among football followers to discover who would be crowned Malta champions.
Joseph Muscat said that 360 Sports Malta Premier was still a works in progress.
“We didn’t meet all of our objectives,” Dr Muscat said.
“This has been a season of transition in everything that we have done. Some things worked out others didn’t, and some areas need to be improved, while others need to change. This is just a starting point, and no way we have reached where we want to.
“One has to remember that this was a season of many innovations. It was the first time that the organisation of the championship was not under the responsibility of the MFA. So, for whoever was working on this project, it was a completely new experience and therefore I think a lot of good things happened.”
“Added to that, we had little data on previous championships, so if you ask me if we performed better than past years, I can’t compare because we have very little information on the past and can only speak on perceptions and anecdotes of previous years.
“But this data collected this year will be the benchmark, and we will be able to compare certain things on how they are progressing from next season.”
Dr Muscat said that despite the lack of data, there were clear conclusions that one can make on what people want.
“It’s clear that fans want more head-to-head matches,” Dr Muscat said.
“Fans also want a better match experience. Look at rugby. There are far fewer people who understand the sport’s regulations than in football, but the crowds attending rugby international matches are far bigger.
“That shows that in football, there is a need for more engagement with the fans, and the game is just part of the package given to them.
“At the moment, we don’t have the necessary infrastructure in our venues to provide entertainment for the fans, but I believe that as more time passes, we will make this happen.”
Dr Muscat was angry about the lack of security during the Ħamrun Spartans trophy presentation, where one of the gates that gives way onto the pitch was left open, letting fans onto the pitch and creating a security scare.
“One of my biggest disappointments is the lack of security that there was at the stadium when Ħamrun Spartans won the league title,” Dr Muscat said.
“At the final whistle, one of the gates was open and people made their way onto the pitch. With all due respect, it was unacceptable. In such circumstances, such things cannot happen. If the people coming in were committee members, I would accept, but letting members of the public in it’s dangerous and there could have easily been serious incidents.
“I am sure that football authorities are equally angry with that situation, and things will improve in the future.”
Muscat said that, based on the data collected, the highly anticipated matches should be scheduled on a Saturday, while the best day to broadcast a football match is on a Friday, as there is no competition with foreign leagues.
In this season’s championship format, it was clear that through this system teams’ consistency throughout the whole season doesn’t necessarily mean success as Floriana, the side that picked up the highest number of points when adding the Opening Round and Closing Round, missed out on the title while Sliema, the team that ranked second through points collected, failed to qualify for Europe.
Ħamrun Spartans, who suffered 11 defeats throughout the campaign, still managed to come out on top as they delivered when it mattered most.
Asked if he felt that through this format, the concept of sporting justice was completely nullified, Dr Muscat said: “We started with the concept that we needed more engagement as this brings more revenue and ensures more financial sustainability for the clubs, makes football more attractive and provides a higher standard of football.
“What we can say of this season is that there was not one team that threw away matches. The fact that you had until the final match of the Top Six, six teams who didn’t know if they could win the league, or qualify for European football, everyone went with all their guns blazing to win matches.
“Was it fair or not? it’s all about engagement. Europe’s top competition, the Champions League, changed its format this season, and the team that struggled so much in the league phase, PSG, can win the title, while the most consistent side, Liverpool, were knocked out in the Last 16.
“At the end of the day, those are the rules of the game, and the most important is that
we didn’t change the regulations midway through the season.”
Dr Muscat believes that the sight of playing going down with physical problems during matches was all down to the high intensity of matches, but when questioned whether it was more about teams’ not being prepared enough for the demands of having a longer schedule, he admitted that it was also part of the cause.
“In the past, we had 12 matches that were played at high intensity and now that amount has doubled,” Dr Muscat said.
“Teams can no longer have 13 first-team players, they need a deeper squad to survive this format. I believe that Maltese players have a bigger role to play and having a block of home-grown players is crucial to be successful.
“And that is why it’s important for clubs to nurture young players, as with just 14 foreign players on your books, you still won’t last the distance.”
Gozo Weekender experiment
The Gozo Weekender, which saw a whole programme being played in Gozo, turned out to be a great success with over 5,000 fans attending matches between Friday and Monday.
The only taint of the initiative was that it was planned on the final matchday of the Closing Round when clubs were fighting for a berth in the Top Six or Bottom Six and inevitably generated suspicions that results of matches could be premeditated for the team’s interests.
“It was indeed a mistake to schedule the Gozo Weekender on that weekend. The only regulations that exist here in Malta are to hold matches concurrently when a championship is at stake.
“MFA regulations stipulate that the only compulsory concurrent matches are to be held when a championship is
at stake. The way matches
were spread, almost no team had an interest in the result of a match that would affect them.
“Teams were informed of the situation, and it was a lack from us, and I take full responsibility, and when we planned it over five days, we didn’t believe that it would be such a tight situation. And that is one thing that we need to learn from and avoid next season.”
A lot has been said on the possibility of introducing a kind of VAR system to assist match officials.
Dr Muscat confirmed that the MFA initiated talks to introduce the Football Video Support (FVS), which allows each team to make two challenges per match for situations like goals, penalties, red cards, and mistaken identity.
“The cost of the VAR is simply not financially sustainable for us, and therefore, we have to look at other alternatives,” he said.
“This system is also set to be used in the Italian Lega Pro, and we believe that in the current financial situation, it’s the most feasible one.
“Will it solve all the controversies? I doubt it, as even with the full VAR we see every weekend major debates, but it’s a good starting point for us.”
