Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1463105
NEWS 5 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 30 MARCH 2022 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 In the play-offs, the first and fourth placed teams were to face each other; the second-placed team would play the third- placed. The winners of these play-offs face each other in the final. So second-placed Hibernians and third-placed De Piro were hoping to lose, drop fourth, to face the Starlites. In a video going viral that shows the last six minutes of the match between the two, players can be seen intentionally losing the ball and putting it out of play. Sourc- es close to the club also said that a number of young players were fielded in the match, with some as young as 16 debuting in the men's senior league. The match has been put under the spotlight as both teams have managed strong performanc- es throughout the season, with Hibs winning three domestic titles. Earlier in the day, Starlites emerged victorious against Mellieha Libertas with a 75- 72 score line. But the match between Depiro and Hiberni- ans ended with a 69-68 win for Depiro, with the online foot- age even showing a Hibs player blocking an auto basket attempt by the opposition's player. Speaking to MaltaToday, Mal- ta Basketball Association Presi- dent Paul Sultana expressed his anger on the incident. "We have started an investigation on the case, and we will be hearing both sides' argument on the issue," he said. "A decision is expected by the end of the week." He said the match went against all sporting principles of fair play. "I am very disappointed, it goes against sporting spirit, and it's ridiculous." Sultana said the situation is "unprecedented", and that the association has to consult with FIBA regulation on the issue. "Under normal circumstances we see matches where one team is trying to win, and another that is trying to lose, but here both teams want to lose." He promised those found guilty of unsporting behaviour by the MBA "will receive the maximum pun- ishment avail- able". He said a coach has offered his resignation to the club, but refused to delve into greater de- tail. Sultana also played down any claims of match-fixing, saying the information available to the association at the time showed the teams were striving to max- imise their chances at getting to the final. Sources who spoke to this newspaper said despite betting company BET 365 starting to release odds on local basketball matches as of this season, the chances of match-fixing are low, as due to the amateur level of the league, bets are restricted to around €50 a match. The sources also said that un- like football, which has experi- enced several instances of match fixing, basketball players are never approached to be bribed. MBA says guilty parties will 'receive maximum punishment' Hibernians v De Piro Malta Basketball Association President Paul Sultana