Malta’s national football team players have been getting paid to be humiliated for decades, a Bis-Serjetà investigation can reveal.
The ritual humiliation occurs every few months, when hundreds of Maltese people gather in Ta’ Qali stadium to watch 11 of their compatriots be dominated for 90 minutes by superior teams from around the world.
Footage of Malta’s players being thrashed by stronger, faster, more agile men is also shown on TV, accompanied by inept commentary.
While the Maltese players are paid for their time, many believe the practice should be banned.
“I don’t understand how this has been allowed to go on for more than a century,” human rights activist Anna Gatt told Bis-Serjetà.
“You wouldn’t subject an animal to this sort of disgusting treatment, so why is it OK let vulnerable humans run around a field getting publicly* degraded?” she asked.
Steven Fenech, who regularly goes to the displays, defended his attendance.
“I don’t know what all the fuss is about. I pay good money to watch, and everyone knows that you can do anything if you pay for it, no matter how horrible and immoral.”
The players themselves also played down their participation in the event.
“People should mind their own business,” said Henry Bonello, who as a goalkeeper bears the brunt of the humiliation.
“Maybe I like having balls shot between my legs and into the back of a net at high speed. Who are you to judge me?” he said, adding that sometimes the superior players give him their shirts.
*Not pubicly
