Usually, when we have a headline like this, we would be referring to some poor result on the international scene, in most cases associated with football. Our joys in sport have been very few and very far between. Not this time.

With regard to sport, Malta has been in the news in the international media for the wrong reasons these past few days.

In the first instance, former international footballer Kevin Sammut was banned for life from the game by UEFA’s appeals panel after he was found guilty of helping fix a European championship qualifying match, which Malta lost 0-4 to Norway in a Euro 2008 qualifier. Sammut continues to deny his involvement. The punishment inflicted on Sammut is the most drastic that UEFA could take in the circumstances, and it used the Maltese player’s case as a warning to others.

Then, a few days later, the top two officials of the Maltese Olympic Committee (MOC), president Lino Farrugia Sacco, who is also a judge, as well as secretary Joseph Cassar, were named by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in an investigation on the supply of Olympic Games tickets to the black market. Again, both officials have denied their involvement, but the IOC is demanding that “appropriate measures” are taken against the two officials by the MOC.

If this does not take place, the IOC will have no other option but to take action and this could mean that Malta’s accreditation to take part in Olympic events could be withdrawn. In other words, Malta could be banned from taking part in events held under the Olympic umbrella, including the Olympic Games. What a blow that could be for Maltese sport and, especially, the athletes.

IOC ethics rules allow it to directly sanction national Olympic committees, but not individuals. In this case, Malta’s reputation was given a bigger blow than the Kevin Sammut ban because the case involves the topmost officials of the national sporting scene – the first and second in command of the national Olympic movement.

These two incidents have placed Malta in the international limelight for the wrong reasons. The foreign media have reported these two cases extensively, and the image of Maltese sport has been greatly tarnished.

It was only this week that Malta slipped four places in what is known as the corruption index. When people are asked about their perception of corruption, in most cases they inevitably think about governmental institutions. But what is certain is that these two cases above do not help one have a good perception of Maltese sport too. Given the circumstances, the two officials should resign – if only to clear the way for Malta’s participation in the next games, and also for them to plead their case and defend themselves independently.