Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/269668
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 2 MARCH 2014 2014 6 News DANIEL MIZZI IN an unusual case filed in the law courts, four brothers and their nephew fought over Aaron Camilleri Cauchi's amendment of his birth cer- tificate, to use a double-barreled sur- name, when his uncles claimed this was detrimental to their occupation and reputation as artists. Established Gozitan artists Paolo, Mario and Michael Camilleri – who for the past 60 years have been us- ing 'Camilleri Cauchi' to sign their artworks – filed a judicial request against the Public Registry, as well as their brother Alfred Camilleri and his son Aaron Camilleri Cauchi, arguing that the surname change should not have been approved by the court, creating confusion as to the identity of the artists. The three brothers said the distin- guishing use of 'Camilleri Cauchi' as their artwork's signature was first used back in the 1950s by Paolo Camilleri, after he had been consistently mis- taken for a neighbor of his. Paolo's brothers Mario, Michael as well as Alfred – the defendant – also started using Camilleri Cauchi in their artworks, and the surname quickly became associated with the brothers and their artwork. Cauchi is their mother's maiden surname. Additionally, Alfred's son Aaron – also an artist – has also been using the 'Camilleri Cauchi' signature for his work. In 2012, the Civil Court allowed Aaron Camilleri to amend his birth certificate and change his surname legally to Camilleri Cauchi – but in line with Article 4(3) Civil Code, the change also affected his father's sur- name, now officially Alfred Camilleri Cauchi. His brothers, the plaintiffs, are now disputing the civil court's deci- sion because they claim that even if their brother was using the surname Camilleri Cauchi, the surname should not have been used by their children. "The change of Aaron's surname is not justified and should not subsist because the fact that his father was merely using it does not give Aaron the right to use it, and more seriously, it is leading to widespread confu- sion." The applicants also argued that the use of 'Camilleri Cauchi' only pertains to the Camilleri brothers and not to their children, and that their nephew's surname change risked being detri- mental to them and their work. "As a result of Aaron's surname change, the artists and the origins of art pieces can no longer be identified to their right- ful artist but due to the fact that Aaron is now signing Camilleri Cauchi, there will be widespread confusion." Lawyer Jean Paul Grech signed the judicial protest. Make way for the new sugar daddies of Maltese football WHY is Maltese football attracting interest from investors abroad? The twilight of the 'big man' presi- dents that characterized Maltese football, has seen new "sugar dad- dies" pumping thousands into clubs, the latest being Riccardo Gaucci's takeover of Floriana FC. But according to the Malta Foot- ball Association's chief executive Bjorn Vassallo, this is only the start for a new wave of foreign investors that will make Maltese football clubs autonomous and not dependent on local entrepreneurs. "The recent increase of foreign in- vestors is a step in the right direction towards making football clubs more competitive and able to compete on a European front. When they subse- quently become companies, football clubs become financially independ- ent – a crucial step in today's finan- cial world," Vassallo said. "Following the financial crisis, clubs bankrolled by one person have been treading a fine line, as a sudden change in the owner's riches could lead to their demise. It has now be- come clearer than ever that Maltese clubs can no longer depend on sugar daddies but must be self-sustaina- ble," Vassallo insisted. The football association's CEO said the MFA was committed to make the rules regulating company clubs more "flexible". Earlier this month, a group of Ital- ian investors spearheaded by Ricca- rdo Gaucci, the son of former Peru- gia owner Luciano Gaucci, assumed control of Premier League club Floriana FC. Gaucci himself was ap- pointed club president. The news was met with trepidation by Floriana supporters at the AGM that confirmed the Gaucci bid – the voters were split down the middle on whether to accept another bid from English marketing expert Mike Far- nan, but the club's committee forced the issue when Gaucci came forward with a €150,000 "down payment" to pay off salaries. His bid for takeover was instantly carried by the swayed voters. Supporters who are suspicious of the Gaucci bid say the takeover is a risky move, given that the Italian en- trepreneur is seeking to pour up to €18 million into a commercially rede- veloped Independence Arena, where the club has its football ground. Gaucci himself is no stranger to controversy: After Perugia became bankrupt in 2005, an Italian mag- istrate launched an inquiry on his father Luciano as well as his sons Alessandro and Riccardo himself. Luciano Gaucci escaped to the Do- minican Republic where he stayed four years on hiding. He was subse- quently condemned to a three-year suspended jail sentence. Gaucci re- turned in Italy on March 2009. Since winning its last premiership title in 1992 under the presidency of Anthony Grech Sant, Floriana has been unable to secure a stable financing. Its latest president was Steve Vaughan, a boxing promoter. His tenure has been short-lived. It's not only Floriana supporters who are sceptic about the move. Other Maltese clubs – notably Ham- run Spartans FC – got the short end of the stick in their deals with for- eign investors. Drawing comparisons with the booming football interest in Cyprus, sports journalist Christian Micallef says he is suspicious about the increase in foreign investment in Malta, because Maltese football in itself does not offer any "attractive" quality for investors. "There is nothing really interest- ing that makes Maltese football at- tractive for foreign investors so I am very sceptical about the increasing interest, more so because in the past, many clubs and foreign investors of- ten ended up in arms and with a bit- ter taste in their mouth." Micallef argued that there have been cases where foreign investors only came to Malta for the money and that when things went wrong, the clubs ended up worse off. "The MFA and the clubs themselves must make sure that the investment is in the best interest of the club. A thorough due diligence test must be carried out and past cases must serve as an eye opener for clubs," Micallef insisted. On this part, MFA CEO Bjorn Vassallo was quick to alleviate wor- ries that foreign investors are here for the money only. "Prior to giving the green light for any investors, be it foreign or local, the MFA conducts a due diligence test. This analyses the financial sus- tainability of the investors, whether it can deliver on its promises and most importantly, whether the fu- ture of the football club itself is in jeopardy," he said. The due diligence test is however a bone of contention for sports jour- nalist Sandro Micallef, who argues that this must be done by an inde- pendent auditing company and not by MFA officials. "In an effort to ensure transpar- ency, and to safeguard the interests of all stakeholders, the due diligence test must be conducted by an audit- ing company on all clubs, irrespec- tive of their owners," he said. Micallef was also sceptical and "perplexed" by the increase of for- eign investors, as he underlined that "no one is here for charity." "Unfortunately some clubs were left ruing their decision to allow their takeover by foreign investors, as these were often done for busi- ness reasons rather than personal pride," he said. "At Floriana, after Gaucci pledged that he would not ask for this mon- ey back, this is probably a welcome sight for Maltese football, especially after certain foreign investors re- quested their money back when things went bad," Micallef argued. In the wake of Gaucci's invest- ment, Bjorn Vassallo is envisaging more foreign investment, saying fi- nancial sustainability could propel Maltese football into realising the MFA's dream: having a semi-pro- fessional league and for clubs to be at par with their European counter- parts. With Italy's proximity to Malta and the fact that several Italian football- ers have already played in Malta, Vassallo says it is "no surprise that more Italians are opting to invest or coach in Maltese football." dmizzi@mediatoday.com.mt There's millions to be made in Maltese football… or is it the commercial and land projects that foreign investors are really after, DANIEL MIZZI asks? Brothers in court over 'Camilleri Cauchi' surname Sculptor Alfred Camilleri is now 'Camilleri Cauchi' after his son Aaron legally obtained the double-barreled surname – but his brothers say they have appropriated their artistic appellation No stranger to controversy: Luciano Gaucci signs Saadi al-Gaddafi, son of the Libyan dictator, for Perugia before he was arrested for his part in an alleged €35 million fraud Riccardo Gaucci (centre) is made president of Floriana FC. Next to him are secretary Dione Mifsud and treasurer Reuben Buttigieg (right)