The Malta Football Association was warned yesterday that its planned ticket price increases were illegal and that the MFA should review its position. It was warned that non-compliance could bring upon it fines of Lm750, apart from a Lm75 fine daily until the situation was regularised.

The warning was given by the National Euro Changeover Committee after the price increases were announced by the MFA. The MFA told the media on Wednesday that the price changes were being brought in mostly because of the change from the Maltese lira to the euro.

The MFA’s president, lawyer Joe Mifsud, said the new prices would be eight euros for the Lm3 ticket, five euros for the Lm2, four euros for the Lm1.50, and 2.5 euros for the Lm1 ticket.

Under the lira-euro rate of exchange those prices should be EUR6.99, 4.66, 3.49 and 2.33 respectively.

The NECC said the euro changeover legislation laid down two important principles: firstly: the conversion rate between the Maltese lira and euro should be at 0.4293, rounded up to the nearest euro cent.

The second principle was that no price increase would be allowed because of the changeover to the euro. Price adjustment for technical reasons (such as for vending machines) should be revenue neutral, the NECC said.

It added that according to what the MFA had said, the ticket price increases were motivated by the currency change. This meant that the increases were in breach of Legal Notice 4 of 2007, the NECC said.

Issuing its warning about the situation, and the fines amounts, the NECC invited the MFA to discuss the necessary changes with it “to ensure that the changeover to the euro would be without impacts or inconvenient to the sporting public”.