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MALTATODAY 10 July 2022

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12 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 10 JULY 2022 NEWS LUKE VELLA DESPITE clinching a promotion to the Premier League, Pem- broke Athleta SC will play in the third tier of Maltese football, the National Amateur league, dur- ing the 2022/2023 season, in a decision to forfeit their deserved place in the top tier, citing finan- cial difficulties. The club had finished top of Section A in the Challenge League, unbeaten and with 48 points. But Alex Calleja, president of Pembroke for 23 years, told MaltaToday that the reason behind this controversial deci- sion was the club's overspend- ing during the 2021/2022 sea- son. He explained that through- out the season, the expenditure had doubled, highlighting that this occurred throughout a pe- riod of economic turmoil, fol- lowing the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. "I will not whitewash my problems. At the moment it is not possible to generate enough funds to make up for the €100,000 in debt," Calleja said. "I wanted to end the sea- son debt free. Our desire was to play in the Premier League however I don't want to sacri- fice the club in the process. By playing in the National Ama- teur League, the club can sur- vive." Calleja said that debt kept accumulating after the club had to fork out an €80,000 in- vestment in the club's infra- structure, pointing out that as a coastal village, the fencing and the walls of the Pembroke grounds required constant maintenance. The team also had to pay €40,000 in VAT over the past year. "Where are you going to find that amount of money? We were falling into a sinkhole, with no end in sight." Calleja emphasised that over 500 athletes depend on the club altogether, and that he had to protect all the work that had been put into the club over the years. "Less than 50% of the Premier League clubs have their own premises. Our reality is different as we have athletes training at our facilities till 11 o'clock at night. I'm always thinking of tomorrow and I don't want to jeopardise what we've built over the years." "I am already feeling much better thanks to this decision. I had not slept for six months, as all those financial problems were taking a toll on me and my family," Calleja, the owner of Yorkie Clothing, said. Calleja admitted to having committed a mistake when postponing his decision to play in the Amateur League. "We should have taken a step back two years. It was my mistake and I assume responsibility for it." Under Calleja's reign, Pem- broke had played in the Pre- mier League for two successive years, during the 2015/2016 and the 2016/2017 seasons. Asked how the club managed to survive five years ago and not today, Calleja explained that at the time the club re- quired a €180,000 budget but that it had now skyrocketed to €450,000. Calleja attributed this to the rising wages, which he said had doubled over the span of five years. "A lot of foreign players are now playing in Malta and this has led to an increase in the wage expectations of Mal- tese players." He also said that since the MFA had upped the standards and staffing requirements for the Premier League teams, the wages had become heftier. Calleja did however acknowl- edge that Maltese football was improving, attributing it to a more professional coaching approach. The decision to stay on Three club committee mem- bers had issued a statement expressing their complete dis- agreement with Calleja's deci- sion, saying this went against the values and spirit of fair play and sportsmanship, and that Pembroke had received various offers of assistance from local and foreign investors. Asked for the reason why Pembroke did not manage to The economics of Maltese football: where did it all go wrong for Pembroke? Pembroke Athleta SC forfeited their place in the Premier League, applying for the National Amateur League licence, citing financial difficulties "We can't keep on spending thousands with no return on investment. The players that are coming in are not big enough to bring in the much-needed investment. Football in Malta has no future." Alex Calleja, president of Pembroke for 23 years, told MaltaToday that the reason behind this controversial decision was the club's overspending during the 2021/2022 season Under Calleja's reign, Pembroke had played in the Premier League for two successive years, during the 2015/2016 and the 2016/2017 seasons. Asked how the club managed to survive five years ago and not today, Calleja explained that at the time the club required a €180,000 budget but that it had now skyrocketed to €450,000

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