Sliema Wanderers deny accusing goalie of bribery

Sliema Wanderers FC president Steve Abela has issued a categorical denial of the claims by footballer Simon Agius, who filed a judicial protest in court, saying the SWFC directorship had falsely accused him of bribery.

The club said it will file a complaint with the Malta Football Association so that it investigates what it termed was a breach of contract by Agius.

The goalkeeper of Sliema Wanderers FC refused to play the deciding match with Qormi for the Europa league on Tuesday, claiming his club bosses falsely accused him of corruption and threatened him hours before the match.

Simon Agius filed a judicial protest explaining that he was called for a 1 a.m. meeting yesterday with club president Steve Abela, coach Mark Marlow and PR officer Ivan Calleja. During the meeting it was alleged that he had accepted a bribe, he said, adding he had been intimidated by club officials.

“It is not true that the club and its officials spread rumours about Simon Agius or his family, or threatened or intimidated him or his family. It is untrue that club officials refused to report any corruption allegations to the police,” Abela said.

Abela says a cordial meeting was held with Agius on the night that the SWFC players were spending a pre-match preparation session inside a hotel. The next day, Agius filed a judicial protest.

“The club cannot accept such irresponsible action from a player, hours before a decisive match… at no time were club officials alleging that Agius was involved in some form of corruption. This is Agius’s opinion, which for reasons of his own, has chosen to publicise and neglected to honour his contract with the club.”

The team was staying at the Le Meridien Hotel, in St Julians for a team-building exercise. Agius, whose contract with the club expired yesterday, was called for a meeting outside the hotel when he was told he had accepted a bribe.

Agius denied the claims vehemently in his judicial protest, pointing out that he had invited the officials to take the allegations to the police.

Agius is holding the officials liable for damages, saying that since his contract with Sliema expired yesterday, the allegations were damaging his prospects with other clubs he would be dealing with in the future.