An emergency service doctor has lambasted Floriana supporters, and indirectly also the police for their inaction, saying that what happened on the Granaries on Monday evening was “an insult to all those who worked in COVID”.

Hundreds of Floriana supporters gathered in the main square of the locality to celebrate the Premier League victory which was handed to the club via a decision taken by the MFA council. Social distancing was ignored – at present, the law states that a gathering of more than six people is not allowed and fines can be handed out by the police.

But, in spite of the police headquarters being a stone’s throw away, the celebrations continued, with supporters embracing, chanting and making merry, certainly not keeping to the two-metre distance rule and the group of six restriction. They were not wearing face masks or visors.

“We did and will continue giving out best,” Michael Spiteri wrote on his Facebook page.

“We planned, we delivered and till now it seems that we had the upper hand. Some might argue that we shall have a bigger second wave, some might say that a second wave will be smaller than the first. Although we might have different views on details, all professionals agree that gathering in the hundreds without social distancing was, is and will remain a risk that anyone with an ounce of sense will not dare take.

“Although appreciated, clapping alone will not make the world a better place....social responsibility will. What we saw tonight was an insult to all those who worked in COVID, to those who fell ill and to those who died from this disease.”

Football gatherings have been greatly involved in the spread of Coronavirus. An Atalanta-Valencia champions League match in Februrary is believed to have triggered the spike in cases in both Italy and Spain, while a recent report said that 41 English supporters who attended the Liverpool-Atletico Champions League clash died of Coronavirus.