Exclusive: Chaos, controversy and turmoil inside MTTA

The Malta Table Tennis Association (MTTA) is currently facing a turbulent internal crisis marked by contested leadership, disputed voting rights, and a power struggle with the Malta Olympic Committee (MOC). Following a vote of no confidence in key MTTA officials, questions arose over the legitimacy of recent decisions, the eligibility of underage members in voting processes, and the MOC’s unilateral involvement in international tournament matters. As conflicting communications were issued to players and governing bodies, concerns have grown over procedural integrity, transparency, and the future governance of the sport. This report outlines the sequence of events, key allegations, and the critical points of contention that have placed Maltese table tennis at a crossroads.

The Maltese Herald is currently conducting an in depth investigation on this story.

The EGM and what happened after

In the aftermath of the recent EGM (Extraordinary General Meeting), an MTTA official sent an email to the VO (Voluntary Organisations Commissioner), alleging that the EGM process may not have followed proper procedure. The email requested that the VO appoint an independent board to investigate the matter thoroughly.

At the same time, the MTTA received communication indicating that the current executive committee would not take any further steps until they heard from the VO. However, this position sparked outrage, as the officials who reportedly passed on the information to the VO were the President and Vice President—both of whom had received a strong vote of no confidence. The MTTA questioned how the Commissioner could rely on individuals who had just been effectively ousted.

According to the MTTA, suspending the association’s operations pending an investigation—especially one that could take up to a year—was unacceptable and unfair to the functioning of the association.

Shenanigans and more controversy

Following this, the MTTA formally wrote to the MOC (Malta Olympic Committee) asking to be informed of the alleged “details” that had been passed to the VO. Meanwhile, Kevin Cutajar (former MTTA Vice President who was voted out) sent an email claiming that the MTTA no longer held a majority of members. He argued that several of the “excluded” members were under-16 players who pay tournament fees and should therefore be considered fully paid-up members eligible to vote.

But MTTA rebutted this, saying the statute clearly states only Fully Paid-Up Members can vote or sign petitions. While the other side argued that under-16 players count as fully paid-up members, MTTA noted that 30 of these players were affiliated with clubs that supported the vote of no confidence, and 25 of them would have easily signed if they had truly held voting rights. MTTA also raised ethical concerns, stating that allowing 7- or 8-year-olds—many of whom do not even understand the concept of signing—was inappropriate. The statute specifically mentions that only members aged 16 and over are eligible to vote in an EGM.

After Kevin Cutajar’s email, no further communication was received from the VO regarding whether an independent board would be set up. Eventually the MOC decided arbitrarily to suspend the MTTA from the MOC.

European Championship Confusion

Meanwhile, with the European Youth Championships approaching, the MTTA treasurer took the initiative to contact ETTU (European Table Tennis Union) to organize logistics—specifically accommodation payments for players and their coach.

The MTTA, still operational at the time, also decided to appoint Mario Genovese as national coach for the tournament. ETTU responded by confirming Malta’s participation, issued the invoice, and payments were made by the treasurer, since MTTA funds remained under the control of the ex-president, John Sciberras, who never formally handed over control to the new treasurer. All was confirmed and settled by July 7.

Then came a surprising twist: on July 4, the MOC independently emailed the Maltese players stating that for this tournament, MOC—not MTTA—would be in charge. On July 7, they sent another email stating that Peter Borg Cardona would serve as the head of delegation and coach.

This sudden shift caused confusion among players, who had been receiving one set of instructions from MTTA and another from MOC. While MTTA emphasized they had nothing against Peter Borg Cardona personally, they pointed out that he only knew one of the six selected players and lacked any formal coaching qualifications.

MTTA quickly clarified to the players that this tournament falls under ETTU’s authority and therefore under MTTA’s jurisdiction—not MOC’s. They confirmed that Mario Genovese would be accompanying the team.

Coach Blocked, Misleading Claims, and a Timeline Discrepancy

On July 10, the players were due to travel. Just hours before their departure, MOC sent another email stating that ETTU had refused to accredit Mario Genovese as a coach. The MTTA treasurer received a forwarded email from ETTU dated July 4, stating this.

This date turned out to be crucial.

According to the MOC’s official statement, they only decided to suspend MTTA on July 10. Therefore, their communication to ETTU on July 4 that MTTA was suspended was untrue, as MTTA was fully functional and not suspended at that time.

Despite this, Genovese still traveled to the Czech Republic, unwilling to abandon the players. However, upon arrival, ETTU staff told him they had to follow instructions from the MOC, based on the suspension notice they received. As a result, Genovese could not be officially accredited as coach.

MTTA highlighted that MOC had misled ETTU, making it appear as if the suspension happened earlier than it did. MTTA also emphasized that while MOC may have suspended the affiliation, that does not entitle them to take over the association’s operations.

Allegations of funding mismanagement

According to sources from within the association, it is becoming increasingly clear that every effort is being made to prevent them from regaining control of the MTTA’s funds — funds which, during their time in the hands of the MOC and former president John Sciberras, were allegedly mismanaged. During the period leading up to the 2023 GSSE, there were €390,000 allocated specifically for the event, and to this day, no one seems to know exactly what happened to that money.

“It is evident that if control of the MTTA accounts were handed back to us, we would start asking serious questions. This appears to be the reason behind the coordinated attempts — using various entities — to obstruct our access”, the source said. This situation constitutes a serious breach: the funds cannot remain under the control of someone who has not only ceased to be president, but who was also voted out. All signs suggest that this ongoing conflict is rooted in a desire to cover up what really happened to those funds.

Upcoming Meeting

Finally, MTTA and its affiliated clubs received an email stating that the AIMS Chairman Judge Antonio Mizzi, wanted to hold a meeting. However, the MTTA is still unclear about the purpose or agenda of this meeting.

Conclusion

The ongoing power struggle between MTTA and MOC, complicated by procedural disputes, conflicting claims about membership eligibility, and questionable handling of international tournament representation, has created a climate of confusion and mistrust. The involvement of the VO and now a judge suggests that this situation may soon escalate further—potentially affecting the credibility and stability of table tennis governance in Malta.