Il-kelliem ta’ ADPD-The Green Party, Luke Caruana, qal li filwaqt li l-futbol bla dubju huwa sport popolari ħafna f’Malta, il-proġett propost tal-istadium tal-Marsa jqajjem tħassib serju dwar il-prijoritajiet, il-ġustizzja u t-tmexxija fl-isports f’pajjiżna.
“Dan il-proġett jerġa’ jpoġġi ‘l-futbol fuq kollox, għad-detriment ta’ sports oħra. Il-mistoqsija tqum waħedha. Fejn se jipprattikaw il-bosta isports differenti li għal għexieren ta’ snin ibbenefikaw mill-faċilitajiet tal-Marsa, fosthom sports bħall-baseball u s-softball, waqt li jkun għaddej dan l-iżvilupp enormi? Dawn il-komunitajiet sportivi diġà jsibuha diffiċli jsibu faċilitajiet adegwati. M’hemm l-ebda indikazzjoni li l-bżonnijiet tagħhom ġew ikkunsidrati kif suppost.”
“Ma sibna l-ebda referenza għal konsultazzjoni mal-organizzazzjonijiet u l-klabbs tal-baseball u s-softball, li wħud minnhom ikkonfermaw fuq il-media soċjali li ma ġewx ikkonsultati. Ippjanar tajjeb jeħtieġ djalogu inklussiv, mhux deċiżjonijiet meħuda f’iżolament li jimminaw komunitajiet sportivi żgħar.”
Il-konferenza tal-istampa dwar il-proġett tal-futbol tal-Marsa ġiet trasmessa fuq il-paġna ta’ Facebook tal-Ministeru għall-Intern, bħallikieku l-isports huwa taħt ir-responsabilità ta’ dan il-ministeru! Ir-raġuni ċara, dan il-ministeru reġa’ twebbel fuq il-bejgħ taċ-ċittadinanza lil xi wħud moħbija wara s-suppost ‘mertu’ għax se jħallsu l-bini ta’ stadium. Min huma l-investituri barranin li qed jiġu mwiegħda “ċittadinanza bil-mertu”? “Dan jerġa’ jikxef sistema profondament inġusta: jekk tista’ tħallas, tista’ tikseb aċċess għaċ-ċittadinanza Maltija. Jekk ma tistax, irrispettivament mill-kontribut ġenwin tiegħek lis-soċjetà, tibqa’ eskluż. Dan mhux vera dwar sports għal kulħadd imma dwar prattika mhux etika li tagħmel iċ-ċittadinanza oġġett kummerċjali bl-iskuża tal-futbol.”
Caruana kompla billi rrefera għall-influwenza kontinwa tal-eks Prim Ministru Joseph Muscat, fil-pożizzjoni tiegħu fi ħdan il-Premier League. “Huwa ta’ tħassib kbir li individwi marbuta ma’ kontroversji tal-passat jidher li għadhom influwenza kbira fuq id-direzzjoni tal-gvern, partikolarment f’ministeri ewlenin bħall-intern.”
Huwa kkonkluda li dan il-proġett jirrifletti problema usa’. “Dan mhux dwar it-tisħiħ tal-faċilitajiet tal-komunità, mhux dwar aktar aċċess għall-isport jew l-inkoraġġiment tal-parteċipazzjoni taż-żgħażagħ fl-isport, u lanqas m’hu dwar il-benesseri. Huwa dwar il-kummerċjalizzazzjoni tal-futbol u mod ieħor għal investiment spekulattiv, forma ġdida ta’ spekulazzjoni fuq il-proprjetà moħbija taħt l-iżvilupp tal-isports. Il-benefiċċji se jmorru għand ftit, filwaqt li l-komunitajiet tal-isports jitħallew lura.”
ADPD-The Green Party qed issejjaħ għal approċċ trasparenti, inklussiv u ffukat fuq il-komunità għal infrastruttura sportiva komunitarja, approċċ li jagħti prijorità lill-parteċipazzjoni, il-ġustizzja u l-ġid pubbliku qabel l-interessi mmexxija mill-profitt.
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Sports should prioritise participation, fairness, and the public good over profit-driven interests
ADPD-The Green Party spokesperson Luke Caruana stated that while football is undeniably a very popular sport in Malta, the proposed Marsa stadium project raises serious concerns about priorities, fairness, and governance.
“This project places football above all other sports, to the clear detriment of others. We must ask: where will sports that have benefited from the grounds in Marsa for decades, such as baseball and softball, be hosted while this massive development is underway? These communities already struggle for adequate facilities, and yet there is no indication that their needs have been properly considered.”
“There is no mention of engagement with baseball and softball organisations and clubs, some which confirmed on social media that they haven’t been consulted. Proper planning requires inclusive dialogue, not decisions taken in isolation that marginalise smaller sporting communities.”
The live press conference of this sports venture was strangely streamed on the Ministry for Home Affairs Facebook page. It’s clear that the ministry is in citizenship-peddling mode again. Who are the foreign investors being promised ‘citizenship by merit’? “This once again exposes a deeply unjust system: if you can afford to pay, you may gain access to Maltese citizenship. If you cannot, regardless of your genuine contribution to society, you are excluded. This is not about strong due diligence, it is about an unethical practice that commodifies citizenship.”
Caruana further pointed to what he described as “the elephant in the room” — the continued influence of former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, in his position within the Premier League. “It is deeply concerning that individuals associated with past controversies appear to retain influence over government direction, particularly within key ministries such as the home affairs ministry.”
He concluded that the project reflects a broader issue. “This is not about strengthening community facilities, increasing access to sports, it is not about wellbeing or about encouraging participation of young people in sports. It is about the commercialisation of football and yet another avenue for speculative investment, a new form of property speculation dressed up as sports development. The benefits will accrue to a few, while communities and grassroots sport are left behind.”
ADPD-The Green Party calls for a transparent, inclusive, and community-focused approach to sports infrastructure, one that prioritises participation, fairness, and the public good over profit-driven interests.
