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7 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 19 AUGUST 2026 NEWS Milan Cirovic alleges politicians tried to destroy national water polo team from within FORMER Malta national water polo head coach Milan Cirovic has alleged that journalists "dictat- ed" by politicians tried to destroy the national team from within, in his first interview since standing down after three years in the role. Speaking on Net TV's MANUP+ following his last match with the squad in Varna, Cirovic said the campaign against the team began during preparations for last Janu- ary's European Championship in Belgrade. "Some journalists, I can say very loudly, spineless journalists, were prepared and dictated by some politicians in Malta; they decided to try to destroy the national team from inside," he said. Cirovic explained that in De- cember 2025, ahead of the Eu- ropeans game, officials carried out unannounced doping checks on the squad, targeting several players during both morning and evening training sessions on the same day. He said he was told this was being done "as a prevention" to flag any player using an illegal substance before the tournament, with results promised within three weeks. That three-week window fell on 12 January, the date of Malta's European match against France, which Cirovic described as the team's most important game of the tournament. He said that when the doping results came back negative, a sep- arate report on match manipula- tion, dated November 2025, was then produced and used against the team during the competition in Belgrade. In July, members of Malta's na- tional water polo team were facing suspensions of between three and four months after an investigation by the Aquatics Integrity Unit (AQIU) found they had breached World Aquatics betting rules. The AQIU had issued formal no- tices of charge to several athletes after concluding they violated Ar- ticle 15.1(a) of the World Aquatics Integrity Code, which prohibits certain individuals, referred to as Covered Persons, from betting on any aquatic events. "When the doping control didn't pass, when all our players were negative on doping, they took that file from their office, the report from November 2025 of betting, and they used that during our competition in Belgrade," he said. Cirovic added that no one was ev- er held to account for the affair, and that this was when he decided to leave. "It became so dirty," he said. "When politics are involved in sport, there is no sport anymore." He said he had received no sup- port from the Ministry for Sport throughout the episode and that no one had approached him to discuss the situation. He denied ever receiving any threats. Asked whether he had raised the matter with the ASA president, Cirovic said he had, but noted that the president had also been affect- ed by the controversy and that his own reputation had been dam- aged in the process. Cirovic also pointed to a longer-running tension between clubs and the national team over players' time and priorities, which he said had not improved during his tenure despite repeated dis- cussion. "There are a lot of episodes. Players who were not chosen for the national team, and many oth- er things. Players who also have power and they are involving friends, they have journalists, peo- ple whose sons were not chosen, and et cetera. There are a lot of from behind that now it's too late to speak, nothing changed." He was careful to stress that money was not behind his deci- sion, even though he said his pay had not been sufficient. "If money is a motive, that is not a good mo- tive," he said. Despite the circumstances of his departure, Cirovic spoke warmly of his time in Malta, describing it as "the best time of my life" and thanking the ASA president and staff, including Chris, Andrew, Jonathan and Charles, for the op- portunity. He named Malta's win over Ar- gentina and a strong performance against Montenegro in Varna among the highlights of his ten- ure and said he remains in contact with several players and is trying to help place them with clubs in Europe. He has taken up a post as assis- tant coach with a newly formed Premier League club in Podgorica, Montenegro, and said he would consider returning to Malta in fu- ture if the right offer arose. Aquatic Sports Association says it cannot disregard Cirovic's allegations about internal politics The Aquatic Sports Associa- tion of Malta has said Cirovic en- joyed its full professional support throughout his tenure, in a state- ment issued in response to his comments and signed by general secretary George Farrugia. The statement said the associ- ation had consistently sought to protect its technical staff, officials and athletes "from the consid- erable external pressure, specu- lation and public insinuation to which they were subjected," and that Cirovic's remarks had to be viewed in that wider context. It acknowledged that "allega- tions and insinuations were circu- lated concerning members of the national team, including extreme- ly serious suggestions relating to match manipulation," which it said had caused significant dis- tress to those involved, their fami- lies and the association. It stressed that "serious allegations cannot be treated as established facts merely because they are repeated public- ly," and that everyone is entitled to due process. The ASA said Cirovic's refer- ence to internal politics and ex- ternal influences was something it "cannot and will not simply dis- regard," and that it, too, had faced persistent criticism and attempts to undermine its work. It said that while it would listen to legitimate criticism and address mistakes, it would not allow the association, its staff or its athletes to be tar- nished "without justification." The association said it is "deeply worried" that a confidential Mal- ta Gaming Authority report was leaked to the press by persons bound by secrecy, and it is await- ing news of any investigation into the source of the leak. The matter will be raised at the next ASA Executive meeting. The ASA described Cirovic's contribution to the national team as one that "deserves to be recog- nised with respect," and said his comments "should not be dis- missed" but merit serious institu- tional consideration. It pointed to progress made by Malta's water polo teams at the international level over the past three years as the clearest response to the speculation sur- rounding the sport JULIANA ZAMMIT jzammit@mediatoday.com.mt Speaking on Net TV's MANUP+ following his last match with the team, Milan Cirovic (inset) said politicians tried to destroy national water polo team from within