The Nationalist Party has called on the government to provide immediate answers in a statement following serious allegations made by former Malta national waterpolo coach Milan Ćirović, who claimed that politically connected individuals interfered in the sport and worked to undermine Maltese waterpolo.
Ćirović, who recently stepped down from his role with the Aquatic Sports Association (ASA), made the allegations during an interview on NET Television's Man Up+. Without naming individuals, the Montenegrin coach said that people with political power had been behind what he described as a campaign that damaged the national team and made it increasingly difficult for him to continue working in Malta.
According to the PN, Ćirović's allegations "cannot be ignored", stressing that there is no place for political interference in sport.
The Opposition, through its shadow minister for sport Graham Bencini, asked the government to identify the politicians to whom the former coach was referring and to clarify whether the Minister of Sport was aware of the alleged events.
The PN also asked whether there was political interference in the cases mentioned by Ćirović, including in the manner in which information concerning the national team allegedly reached the media.
The party further questioned whether the Authority for Integrity in Maltese Sport (AIMS) is investigating the matter and called on the government to establish the facts and ensure accountability.
The PN said the government should consider ordering an independent investigation and publishing all relevant communications involving individuals within the government, SportMalta, the ASA and other entities that may have been involved.
The statement comes against the backdrop of controversy surrounding allegations published earlier this year concerning alleged match-fixing involving Malta waterpolo players. The allegations had prompted a strong reaction within the local sporting community, while the ASA had maintained that its initial investigations had found no evidence to support the claims. The matter was subsequently examined in Malta and by World Aquatics, with the allegations of match-fixing ultimately not substantiated.
Ćirović, however, has now linked his decision to leave his position to what he described as a wider deterioration in the environment surrounding Maltese waterpolo. He said that, at one point, he no longer knew who was supporting him and who was not, and described the situation as having become "too dirty".
The former coach also praised ASA President Karl Izzo and the association, while maintaining that it had become impossible for him to continue working under the circumstances he described.
The PN said Maltese sport and athletes must not be used to advance political or personal agendas, and stressed that it deplores any conduct that damages the reputation of Maltese sport, regardless of where it originates.
"In the face of serious allegations of political interference made by a foreign coach, which led to his departure from Malta, silence is not an option," the PN said.
It has called on the Minister of Sport, Byron Camilleri, to give a clear explanation and immediate answers on the allegations raised by Ćirović.