Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1208901
2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 FEBRUARY 2020 SPORT LATEST RESULTS NEWS BOV Premier League Valletta 3 Balzan 1 Valletta starting line-up: Henry Bonello, Steve Borg, Ryan Camilleri, Santiago Malano(Miguel Angel Alba-57), Bojan Kaljevic, Matteo Piciollo (Jhony Moises Barrios-66), Shaun Dimech, Jean Borg, Enmy Pena Beltre, Nicholas Pulis, Mario Fontanella (Joseph Zerafa-90) Balzan starting line-up: Kristijan Naumovki, Nenad Sljivic, Steven Pisani, Michael Johnson, Paul Fenech, Alfred Effiong (Dale Camilleri-72), Uros Ljubomirac, Ivan Bozovic, Stefan Dimic (Sean Mintoff-81), Arthur Faria Machado (Shinobu Adeseyi-54), Samir Arab Referee: Philip Farrugia Assistant Referees: Alan Camilleri, Ivan Galea Fourth Official: Trustin Farrugia Cann BOV Player of the Match: Mario Fontanella (Valletta) Scorers: Mario Fontanella (Valletta), Ivan Bozovic (Balzan) Gudja United 1 Sliema Wanderers 0 Gudja United starting line-up: Glenn Zammit, Jurgen Farrugia, Jonathan Bondin, Aidan Jake Friggieri (James Brincat-83), Edison Bilbao Zarate, Rundell Winchester (Llyewlyn Cremona-90), Anderson De Barros, Nivaldo Rodrigues (Gabriel Mensah-69), Juan Andres Bolanos, Justin Grioli, Imanol Gonzalez Sliema Wanderers starting line-up: Jake Galea, Alex Satariano (Gabriel Lustosa-67), Kurt Shaw, John Mintoff, Mark Scerri, Juri Cisotti, Juan Gill Cruz, Edmond Agius, Carlos Calvo (Michele Sansone-56), Arthur Henrique Oyama, Jean Paul Farruigia (Gilmar Ribeiro-46) Referee: Slobodan Petrovic Assistant Referees: Paul Apap, James Muscat Fourth Official: Matthew Degabriele BOV Player of the Match: Rundell Winchester (Gudja) Scorers: Rundell Winchester (Gudja United) Birkirkara 2 Mosta 1 Scorers: Isaac Ntow, Matthew Guillaumier (Birkirkara), Christian Chaney (Mosta) Gzira United 2 Floriana 2 Scorers: Marco Criaco (Gzira), Stefano D'Agostino, Tiago Adan Fonseca (Floriana) TODAY'S MATCHES Tarxien Rainbows vs Santa Lucia 2pm Senglea Athletic vs Hibernians 4pm TOMORROW Sirens vs Hamrun Spartans 3pm CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 It was for that reason that Mus- cat met Prime Minister Robert Abela and health minister Chris Fearne, together with Steward Malta CEO Armin Ernst: asking that the government favourably considers Steward's demands in the contract he had renegotiated with them. But government sources say they are still in the dark as to how Steward's predecessors, VGH, amassed the €36 million in debt and where this money was spent. The American healthcare com- pany, which stepped in to buy VGH in December 2017 when the unknown consortium of medical investors were unable to secure private finance, has long made demands for more money and wider berth on default claus- es in negotiations with Muscat and Mizzi. Chief among them are the pen- alties the Maltese taxpayer has to pay should the government default on the 30-year PPP. In such a case, the government will fork out €100 million in cash and has to cover any lenders' debt in- curred by Steward. Should Steward default on the contract and not fulfil its obli- gations on the St Luke's, Karin Grech, and Gozo hospitals, it would 'only' lose its equity – any investment it carried out during the PPP – but government would still have to pay the debt they in- curred. But Steward wants to extend the grounds on which a 'force majeure' or national emergency default might incur, that is, sit- uations where civil strife or war would make the operation un- workable. In such case, govern- ment would be obliged to pay out 50% of what Steward invested, and also pay any debt the compa- ny incurred. The healthcare company now wants to add a host of other such 'force majeure' conditions, con- troversially including: acciden- tal loss or damage, strikes and work-to-rule situations, and even changes in laws such as those af- fected by EU regulations all situa- tions that tend to affect the ordi- In a nutshell Vitals Global Healthcare expected to declare €36 million in debts when accounts are finally filed with the MFSA Steward want to extend the transition period from when they fully assume control of the three hospitals to 2023 They want to be paid €4 million over and above for sala- ries they incurred when they employed their own person- nel over and above government employees that work in the hospitals, at their private sector salary levels They want a greater 'no risk' guarantee to be able to termi- nate the concession due to force majeure of national emer- gency, even in the case of debilitating strikes or changes in EU laws: in that case the government will assume in its own name the lender's debt in full and extinguish the lender's debt – and pay for 50% of equity Steward's US parent has not underwritten a guarantee for Steward Malta's commitments in the hospitals' concession. The company wants to transfer its leasehold to Medical Properties Trust in the United States so that it raises enough finance, to then rent the land back to Steward Malta Steward want extended 'no risk' guarantee