Josef Briffa, footballer with Zurrieq FC, today was convicted of offering a €1,000 bribe to two other footballers who play with Santa Lucija before a third division match between the two teams. The Santa Lucija footballers refused the bribe and then reported the incident to the authorities.

Two defenders and the reserve goalkeeper for Santa Lucija testified against the accused. One of the defenders said that he was told he would be given “a thousand after the game” by Zurrieq’s number 11, whom he had never met before. The other defender who testified said that the offer was whispered in his ear while defending a corner. The goalkeeper also testified that he had overheard the accused telling someone else that “they didn’t want to know”.

Although Briffa denied the allegations outright, Magistrate Ian Farrugia concluded that all the evidence pointed squarely at the accused. The Magistrate also pointed out that it had been proven that Briffa was wearing the number 11 jersey during the match.

The court said that it is duty bound to fight corruption and that corruption in football is particularly damning as it destroys trust placed in it by the fans, adding that bribery charges in the sport cause “a lot of damage to the fabric of society.”

Briffa was handed a six-month prison sentence suspended for four years and a fine of €2,000.