MFA Appeals Board revokes Arias’ three-match ban, €20 fine imposed instead

Case refers to clashes at the end of Hibs-Marsaxlokk league clash

The Malta FA Appeals Board has revoked the three-match suspension handed to Marsaxlokk midfielder Ulises Arias following the fracas at the end of the Premier League match against Hibernians and has instead imposed a €20 fine.

The case refers to the Premier League clash between Hibernians and Marsaxlokk that was played at the Tedesco Stadium during which the Southerners came back from two goals down and secured a 2-2 draw against the Paolites.

At the final whistle, several players from both sides were involved in an altercation that began on the pitch and continued in the tunnel.

Argentine midfielder Arias and Hibernians forward Miullen were both handed a three-match ban by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner after being found guilty of violent conduct. 

Marsaxlokk appealed against the three-match suspension handed to Arias in front of the MFA Appeals Board.

During the sitting, Marsaxlokk, who were represented by lawyers Maurice Meli and Nicole Vella Galea, argued that Arias was not given the opportunity to defend himself before he was handed a three-match suspension, and that violated the right to a fair hearing.

Added to that, Marsaxlokk FC said that since the incident involved several players and officials, the referee’s visibility was not clear, as the match official himself confirmed in his report; therefore, the identification of Arias cannot be considered a certainty.

Marsaxlokk also said that the referee’s report was not detailed enough to find the player guilty and that the whole incident was caused exclusively by provocation from the Hibernians players. The same report also only mentioned that the player in question “adopted a fighting attitude”.

Marsaxlokk also declared that their technical staff did everything in their power to calm the situation.

During their deliberation, the Appeals Board said that there was no clear evidence that Arias was involved in a physical confrontation.

Thus, the Appeals Board said that in the light of having insufficient evidence to accuse the player of violent behaviour, they were revoking the three-match suspension handed to Arias, and instead imposing a fine of €20 for “adopting a fighting attitude”.

In light of this sentence, Arias will now be available for Marsaxlokk for Sunday’s Premier League clash against Floriana.