Malta Premier says ticketing system failure caused the issue
Valletta FC expressed their disappointment at seeing several of their fans left out of the National Stadium for Saturday’s Premier League opener against Birkirkara despite having large parts of the stadium left empty by organisers.
Valletta kicked off their league commitments with a goalless draw against Birkirkara and the capital club attracted a huge crowd to the stadium as they managed to fill every seat of their section at the West Stand.
However, the Premier League club said that several fans were turned away after the Millennium Stand, as well as the South Stand were left closed for fans, a decision that left the Citizens bemused.
It is understood that Malta Premier, the organisers of the championship, used the MFA’s old ticketing system.
“Saturday’s opening match once again showed the incredible passion and loyalty of our supporters,” Valletta FC said in a statement.
“The Valletta stand was sold out well before kick-off, creating a sea of red and white that any club would be proud of, as it should be for the largest club in Malta.
“Yet, while hundreds of our supporters remained outside the stadium, large sections of the ground stood empty, kept closed due to poor planning and a lack of foresight. This is not acceptable and Valletta FC will not accept it.”
The Premier League clubs said that with Maltese football struggling to attract fans to the stadium, this was certainly the best way forward and are planning to hold talks with the authorities to ensure fans are given the respect they deserve.
“At a time when Maltese football is struggling to attract people to the stadiums, Valletta FC has worked tirelessly to promote the game and bring fans back. Our supporters deserve better, their commitment and love for the Club should be met with respect, not obstacles,” the club added.
“We will be formally raising this matter with the relevant entities as this should never be allowed to happen again. Our message is clear: supporters are the lifeblood of football, and they must never be turned away.
“To every Valletta fan who came on Saturday, whether inside the stand or left outside, thank you.
“Your loyalty drives us forward, and we will continue fighting for you, both on and off the pitch.”
In a statement, the Malta Premier issued a statement to apologise to the fans that were denied access to the stadium on Saturday and said a failure in the ticketing system was the main cause.
“The Malta Premier would like to extend its sincere apologies to supporters who were temporarily denied access to Saturday’s match between Valletta FC and Birkirkara FC,” the statement said.
“This disruption was caused by a failure in the ticketing system, provided to Malta Premier as part of the lease of the venue, which incorrectly marked Valletta’s ticket allocation as sold out.
“The total attendance for Valletta FC was of 1,305, with the maximum side capacity being 1,495.
“The issue was identified and resolved on site, and the supporters still on site were eventually granted entry.
“We deeply regret the inconvenience caused and greatly appreciate the patience and understanding shown by our fans during the incident.
“The Malta Premier has taken immediate steps to address the matter with the system’s owners.
“Additional safeguards and system checks are being introduced to ensure this does not happen again and to provide a smoother experience for all supporters in future events.
“We thank all fans for their continued support of Maltese football.”
In a separate statement, the Malta FA has denied the Malta Premier claims that the ticketing system at the National Stadium had failed on Saturday.
“Following our independent verifications, the Malta FA can confirm that the ticketing system operated correctly and without fault, a finding corroborated by the system’s supplier,” the MFA said.
“More importantly, the system functioned exactly as designed: it flagged and restricted entry once the Valletta FC stand (WEST C) reached its calibrated capacity, accurately indicating that the stand was full based on the set capacity available for those tickets that were sold online, together with those sold from the ticket booths.
“The remaining capacity within the WEST C stand was reserved for Valletta FC season-ticket holders.
“The Malta FA would like to state clearly that planning, organisation, and matchday operations are the responsibility of Kampjonat Malta Limited. The Malta FA remains available to provide support and cooperation as required.”
