UEFA turn down Ħamrun Spartans’ request to switch home leg against RFS to Centenary Stadium

UEFA has turned down Ħamrun Spartans’ request to switch their Conference League Play Off against Latvian side RFS, despite the poor condition of the National Stadium pitch, the Times of Malta can reveal.

On Monday, the Malta champions filed a request to the European governing body UEFA to switch the venue of the match to the Centenary Stadium due to the disastrous state of the National Stadium’s playing surface.

However, a club top official told the Times of Malta that UEFA had turned down the Spartans’ request and ordered that the match will be played at the National Stadium as originally planned.

The decision is a major blow for the Spartans’ aspirations to become the first Maltese side to reach the League Phase of a UEFA club competition.

Sources have confirmed to the Times of Malta that UEFA have informed the Maltese club, as the organisers of the tie, that neither the Spartans nor RFS can train at the National Stadium, as it is customary on Match Day One, and instead hold their final session at the MFA Training Grounds at Ta’ Qali.

The UEFA ruling is a real shame for not only Ħamrun Spartans but the whole local football community as arguably one of the biggest matches in UEFA club competitions for a Maltese side is being played in a venue which is clearly not up to standard to host any matches.

Earlier today, the Malta Premier announced that this weekend all matches that were due to be held at the National Stadium were switched to the Tony Bezzina Stadium, but UEFA deemed otherwise.

This is the second time that Ħamrun Spartans had requested to UEFA to host a European match away from the National Stadium, due to its poor state.

Earlier this month, Ħamrun Spartans successfully switched their Europa League home leg against Maccabi Tel Aviv to the Tony Bezzina Stadium.