Everyone wants a piece of Maltese football, but especially Joseph Muscat who has taken a very influential position in Maltese as Chairman of the Malta Professional Football Clubs Association with the backing of his friend and associate Joseph Portelli. As Joseph Muscat consolidates his influence in Maltese football, his orbit is being increasingly pulled toward this space.
Joseph Muscat’s induction into the football scene has coincided with an increased interested by local and foreign individuals and businesses in Maltese football. It seems to be the new trend and everyone wants in. The list that we published yesterday about the new board of Birkarkara’s football club shows that Maltese football is increasingly viewed as an asset by local politicians and businesses.
Joseph Portelli says that he owns the ฤฆamrun Football Club out of passion and not because he intends to make a profit from it but the commercialisation plans of Maltese stadiums may show a different story. And with Joseph Muscat’s network ever becoming more pervasive in football, the scene risks being marred by his reputation. Even Kevin Deguara (Shoreline Mall) is into Maltese football with his recent appointment to the Saint Patrick’s Football Club board.
Effectively, Joseph Muscat is consolidating a network within Maltese football that is distinct from mainstream politics, but which also has political and cultural characteristics that can be leveraged into mainstream politics. This is all negative for the Labour Party which is unable to disentangle itself from the influence of its previous leader. What this means is that as Joseph Muscat builds his network in Maltese football, his influence on the Labour Party will only consolidate making him the only ex-Labour Party Leader to have this permanent and overwhelming influence over who gets elected as the new Leader of the party.
Joseph Muscat also risks creating new reputation problems to Maltese football especially if he is involved in discussions with the government over financing and projects. He brings to Maltese football a history of conspiracy and serial corruption and so does his orbit of associates. Maltese football is in desperate need of upgrading and development with our football performance in international leagues being nothing more than abysmal. As Maltese football gets comemrcialised by the wrong interests, the aim and goals of Maltese football may be easily and quickly obfuscated.
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