Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1541608
2 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 26 NOVEMBER 2025 NEWS CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 "Presently, children imme- diately find themselves on the road as soon as they step off the pavement," he said when contacted by MaltaToday. He emphasised that the council will retain full control over the pedestrianised space. The road will be closed to traffic through a bollard system but will remain accessible to emer- gency vehicles, with the coun- cil determining when it may be opened to traffic. The mayor clarified that the developer had sought the council's approval before sub- mitting a zoning application for the area. According to the mayor, the developer will be bound by a five-year maintenance agree- ment to take care of the plant- ers in the area, but will have no commercial rights over the public space, which will be used at the council's discretion. The council's architect will al- so be involved in designing the pedestrian zone. Deguara men- tioned the possibility of relo- cating the flea market to this area if the government agrees, adding that the proposal will enhance the locality by creat- ing a new public space for cul- tural events. The proposal was approved by the majority of councillors, with deputy mayor Joseph Spi- teri and councillor Godwin Grech—both elected on the Nationalist Party ticket, like the mayor—voting against. Spiteri questioned why the proposal was even being con- sidered, noting that the Local Plan had originally designat- ed a 10-metre-wide pavement to create a modern pedestrian zone. Instead, he said, this planned pedestrian space was built over as a result of a previous zoning application. Had the rezoning not taken place, today's pro- posal would not be necessary. He argued that Triq Kalċidon Agius, although not a main road, is frequently used by drivers heading towards Vjal il-21 ta' Settembru and helps reduce congestion at the major junction. The road also serves parents accessing the playing field, offering convenient park- ing and an informal drop-off point. Closing it to vehicles would remove around 11–12 unre- stricted parking spaces, leav- ing residents without parking while the council gains four guaranteed spaces for 30 years. Spiteri expressed hope that the proposal would not negatively impact the square planned in the local plan and suggested the government expropriate designated sites for public ben- efit. The zoning application to which the council objected in 2022 had shifted the building and front-garden alignments outwards, increasing the devel- opable area by 458sq.m. The mayor rebutted claims that the proposal would result in a net loss of parking, insist- ing that spaces removed from this area will be compensated elsewhere. Asked about the impact on parents dropping off children, he remarked that it is time to move away from the mentality that people must travel everywhere by car. Naxxar Nationalist mayor defends council decision to pedestrianise narrow road next to the playing field CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 On Monday, NET News re- vealed how Birkirkara officials and the player worked closely in an effort to finalise what both believed was a legitimate move to a stronger European league, with significantly improved per- sonal terms for the player. The player had even been scheduled to travel to Germany for medi- cal tests. However, suspicions were raised late on Tuesday evening when the club received a document that immediate- ly appeared irregular. Further exchanges with the alleged sporting director led to the club being asked to pay a so- called temporary "transfer tax," with assurances that the money would be refunded. Birkirkara's legal team, sup- ported by lawyers from the Eu- ropean Club Association (ECA), quickly determined that the proposal was fraudulent. The club then contacted the German team directly, who promptly confirmed that no such negoti- ations had taken place and that a police investigation was al- ready under way. The same club had received multiple reports of similar approaches target- ing other European teams and agencies. According to sources, the scammer had also convinced the player's agent to commit to paying around €30,000 for sup- posed travel and medical-test expenses, with the understand- ing that the amount would later be reimbursed. The agent had no indication that the entire transfer process was a fabrica- tion orchestrated by a criminal network. A three-way call between Birkirkara president Michael Valenzia, the agent, and the scammer revealed the fraud after the impostor refused to switch on his camera. When confronted, the scammer re- portedly laughed, admitted to deceiving the agent, and stated the money would not be recov- ered. He then terminated the call and has not been reachable since. The club, however, avoid- ed any financial loss. This case is believed to be the first of its kind reported public- ly in Malta and is expected to raise awareness among Maltese clubs when dealing with foreign intermediaries and officials. On Wednesday morning, President Valenzia held a virtu- al meeting with the ECA — of which Birkirkara is a founding member — attended by senior officials from Barcelona and Stuttgart, both of whom were targeted in similar scams in re- cent months. Sensitive information was shared among the parties in hopes of identifying the inter- national criminal ring believed to be responsible for millions of euros in attempted fraud across European football. Birkirkara thanked its legal ad- visors, ECA representatives and the German club for their coop- eration, noting their collective efforts were "instrumental in safeguarding the club's inter- ests". Man posing as German football club director came close to defrauding Birkirkara FC Birkirkara FC supporters at a football match The road alongside the playing field which the council has agreed to pedestrianise