Victor Scerri ‘hit ball, not player’, says football club

The Santa Lucia football club has categorically denied its President punched a footballer in the face during a football match on Saturday.

According to a news report by inewsmalta, Santa Lucia FC President Victor Scerri – former President of the Nationalist Party and candidate for the 2013 general elections – punched the Marsascala footballer in the face sending him flying.

A video released by inewsmalta shows the footballer with the ball in hand and Scerri talking to him. A few seconds later, the footballer was lying on the ground.

“Officials intervened during the game and Scerri shoved the ball out of the player’s hands. At no point was there any contact with the person or the intention to do so. Only the ball was touched during an incident so trivial that it was not even mentioned in the match report,” the football club said.

There was no press communication by Marsascala FC that one of its players had been hit and that it was not included in the match report.

Santa Lucia FC went on to point out that it is football society with no political affiliations.