|
He is affectionately known as is-Sur Joe by Valletta supporters. After a one year sabbatical away from the game he militated in for over 20 years, former Valletta FC President Joe Caruana Curran tells Kurt Sansone why he decided to contest MFA President Joe Mifsud for football’s highest post.
Joe Caruana Curran does not mince his words about the current state of Maltese football, which he says has reached its lowest ebb possible. He has no qualms that one of the major problems is the big divide between the association and the member clubs.
 Caruana Curran smiles when I ask him for his reaction to rumours that the MFA is rich while clubs are wallowing heavily in debt.
“I wouldn’t say that the association is rich today,” he says. “We haven’t seen the accounts for this year but it seems very clear that the association itself has financial problems. It is possible that the MFA, some time ago was in a much sounder financial state. Then it made a number of investments that were correct, such as the purchase of the floodlights.
“But now, a few very big decisions have been taken that involve a lot of expenses. As far as I know, close to Lm4 million have been spent on the building and finishing of the Millennium Stand. Such an expense has put the MFA in a dire financial situation. We have to remember that to make an investment of that magnitude the MFA has to ensure it has the revenue to sustain it. I cannot see how such an investment can pay itself in the near future.”
Caruana Curran says that the financial situation of the clubs is different from that of the MFA. “Fortunately, or unfortunately there are still people active at club level that run the clubs on a voluntary basis and who put their hand in their pockets to ensure the club survives.
“Although some clubs have been accused of over spending there are always two, three or more people that have injected the necessary funds to make good for the shortfall at the end of the day. At club level, at least money is spent by people who are ultimately responsible for the situation.”
Caruana Curran makes no distinction between the larger premier league clubs and smaller clubs. “Lm100,000 may be a big problem for a premier division club, but for the smaller clubs Lm3,000 is an equally big problem. Although the values differ widely, the magnitude of the problem is the same,” he says. Caruana Curran argues that the MFA has to find ways and means of assisting clubs. He suggests investment partnerships between the association and the clubs to improve club facilities and nurseries.
Despite its popularity, football has seen fewer supporters attending matches at the stadium. Gate money has dwindled and clubs have felt the pinch. Caruana Curran concurs that much more needs to be done to make the stadium more attractive to supporters.
“To start with, the physical environment has to be improved. It is ridiculous for people to come to the stadium and not find clean seats and good catering facilities. Another issue that has contributed to making the stadium less attractive are the excessive restrictions imposed on supporters. Supporters of the big clubs are disillusioned with the situation, especially when they compare the domestic situation with the colourful celebrations that are permitted in foreign stadiums.”
Caruana Curran hits on a sore point when he insists the game has been given a bad name by constant emphasis on corruption and points a finger at the current MFA administration.
“It was and is a big mistake to continue harping on how corrupt club presidents are. It is very unfair for anybody to be accused of such deeds, especially when the allegations are unfounded. Secondly, if the Association, which is responsible for investigating such allegations, is so sure that there are these practices going on why hasn’t it done anything about it?
“It is absolutely stupid to keep on saying that football is corrupt and people involved in it are corrupt when the Association is trying to attract people to the game. The MFA should be marketing the game in a different way.”
Is he so sure that the game is squeaky clean?
“I do believe that corruption exists like in any other field in life,” Caruana Curran responds. “But I also believe that it was more widespread years ago. I am absolutely positive that if there is corruption going on in Maltese football it is minimal.
“In the past allegations centred around illegal gambling related to Maltese football games and the possibility that individuals would have wanted to fix games in order to win big money. Nowadays, gamblers are more interested in placing bets on foreign football matches.”
With foreign football taking up more TV airtime it is no wonder that people prefer the comfort of their home to the cold stands of Ta Qali. Winning over a sedate audience is not an easy task even more so given the poor level of domestic football.
Caruana Curran understands the difficulty. He says: “The fact is that from Monday to Sunday whether on cable or satellite we are exposed to too much football. It has not helped to have an influx of football games where enthusiasts can see mega-stars playing at the highest level possible.
“But the situation has been made worse with the dismal performances of the national team. Fewer people are enthusiastic about watching Malta play let alone the league matches.”
Caruana Curran describes the situation of the national team as very problematic and criticises the last friendly match against Germany. “It was an ill-planned game and only served to boost the German team’s morale prior to Euro 2004. It was quite silly of us to be led into something of the sort.
“Even if the MFA enjoyed the financial revenue from the game, we should re-consider getting revenue by making fools of ourselves at that level.
“We have reached the lowest ebb possible. Other countries that we used to compete with on par are now far ahead of us,”
he says.
As a case in point, Caruana Curran cites the example of Cyprus, Iceland and Latvia. He admits that size, or rather the lack of it, militates against Malta, but insists that size should also militate against Iceland, the Faroe Islands and others.
“Latvia has even participated in the Euro finals when only last year Sliema eliminated their champions in the Champions League. These countries have improved because of the investment made in sports facilities where sport is considered to be an educational tool not just a fun thing. Malta needs more private investment in sports and government can possibly help by giving a tax break on money invested in sports.”
I ask Caruana Curran whether he agrees with the current scheme for national team players whereby the squad is selected and players are almost guaranteed a place even if they are not on top form in the league.
“I totally disagree with the national team scheme as it is,” he insists. “This scheme does not foster competitiveness among players to form part of the national team. A player’s performance over a season should be a major factor in national team selections. I would rather see players wearing the national team shirt out of pride after having worked hard throughout the season with his club. Malta’s size makes it easy to manage a scheme whereby players can still train with their clubs despite forming part of the national squad.”
Caruana Curran is aware that other countries have improved because more players were playing in larger professional leagues abroad. “We have to export more players to improve but this is a chicken and egg situation. If we want to attract football scouts to Malta, the national football team has to offer attractive football and deliver good results. Scouts would expect the national team to be composed of Malta’s best footballers and it is important to improve on that level.”
He argues that Malta does have talent and insists the MFA can do much more to attract foreign scouts to the island. “The MFA must also seek help from countries such as Cyprus and Iceland, who have improved their game. Their experience could be of value for us.”
I raise the issue of foreign players in the domestic league and the recent impositions by the MFA limiting the number of EU nationals that can play in Malta. The regulations go against EU directives as spelt out in the Bosman ruling by the European Court of Justice.
“I can appreciate the often made argument that foreign players give less opportunity for younger players to develop in Maltese football. It is a justified reason but we also have to accept the fact that we are part of the EU and if there are rules and regulations we have to abide by those regulations.
“I won’t say whether I am in favour or not of total freedom for foreign players because it is very subjective at this point. But we also have to look at what opportunities can arise with more players coming from abroad. If they are of a better level, Maltese footballers playing with them can improve.
“It is also true that certain premier league players may lose their place with the first team but this could also be an opportunity for clubs in the first division to engage better quality players from the premier division. This can create a trickle down affect that improves the quality of football in all divisions.
“One has to look at the situation not only from an MFA point of view but look at it with the clubs. The MFA should not be rigid about its stand and decide solely on what it thinks the situation could be. These decisions should be taken by consensus with all the clubs.”
|
