Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1543552
13 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 MARCH 2026 NEWS football club left fuming after promised given to Valletta FC instead school to use the facilities. But from the government all they got was procrastination. "The plans were first consid- ered, then the club was told to find a new site, and then was told to go back to the original site and amend the plans," the sources said. In October last year, the Swieqi club's administration met Education Minister Clift- on Grima, who indicated that he would push for the existing five-a-side pitch in the area to be expanded. The club had even informed its members that there was light at the end of the tunnel. By January this year, rumours began circulating government was finalising plans for the site to be transferred to Swieqi UFC but the club could never con- firm the matter. When announcing the agree- ment with Valletta FC, the prime minister described the project but no detailed plans were published. Sources privy to the ongoing arrangements told MaltaToday that around 60% of the land would be allocated to Valletta FC, 20% to Swieqi UFC and the remaining 20% would be allo- cated for civic amenities and other sport. It is unclear wheth- er Swieqi will have access to a standard 11-a-side pitch and whether it will benefit from the commercialisation of the site. So far, the club has not been given access to the plans and has not been formally ap- proached, the source added, despite being mentioned dur- ing the public announcement. Swieqi's original vision was for a multi-sport project, bring- ing football, futsal, handball, volleyball and other disciplines under the umbrella of a sport village. The club administration al- ways made it clear they had no issue with sharing facilities with others, the source insist- ed. However, there are con- cerns over the introduction of another football club in what is already a densely populated footballing area. "We are surrounded by sharks–Luxol, Pembroke, Mel- ita, San Gwann—and now the biggest of them all, Valletta FC," the source said. For Valletta FC this has al- so been a decades-long saga. Twice the club was promised land by the government to de- velop a football pitch but each time the plans fell by the way- side. But the announcement that Malta's arguably largest football club will now be given land for a project that Swieqi UFC had been lobbying for has left Swieqi's football communi- ty livid. "The irritation is not direct- ed towards Valletta. It stands to reason all clubs should have proper facilities and so should Valletta. The club's members are angry because even though the management has always been transparent with the gov- ernment on the matter, it was left in the dark over the latest development," the sources said. When contacted, the club management declined to com- ment. A spokesperson said that apart from a phone call received from the minister an hour be- fore the press conference, the club is unaware of what is hap- pening and will comment once it is officially informed of devel- opments. 'Bullying and pay back is clearly evident' – Swieqi mayor Meanwhile, Swieqi Mayor Noel Muscat slammed govern- ment's decision to grant land in Pembroke to Valletta at the expense of the locality's foot- ball club. He said the council is infuriated with the "disrespect- ful" treatment that it received from central government. "The sense of bullying and pay back is clearly evident," he said. Muscat expressed frustration at what he described as central government's neglect for his lo- cality. "Millions are being spent on bombastic projects, but no money is found to purchase land adjacent to the local coun- cil premises for it to become an open space at road level and a regional art and cultural centre at semi basement level," he said of another project proposed by the council that has remained in abeyance for years. "Swieqi is choking. It lacks open spaces, has no sports facilities, no public land, no housing estates and no public schools. Basically, we only con- tribute to the state and receive nothing back," Muscat insisted. "Enough is enough." Prime Minister Robert Abela, Education Minister Clifton Grima and Valletta FC President Claudio Grech at the announcement ceremony during which it became known the club will be given land in Pembroke to construct a football complex