Swieqi United Pull Out From U17s and U21s Finals Amid Calls for Change

Swieqi United have pulled out from the finals of the BNF Women’s U17s and Assikura Women’s U21s Youth Knock-outs, following a unanimous decision between executive, coaches, players and parents. The team was due to play Hibernians FC in the U17s final and Raiders Lija FC in the U21s final. The story, which developed over the last few days, highlights the need for change beyond the two specific fixtures.

How the Situation Unfolded

Swieqi United has cited the reluctance of the MFA to reschedule one of the finals as the reason for not participating, after having made their case that they cannot field their best teams without risking players’ wellbeing, due to the same group of players having to play both games.

The club stated that they voiced their concern about the finals being scheduled with only twenty-four hours between them to the Malta Football Association prior to the team actually reaching the final. In most cases, players are fielded into two of three potential competitions (U17s, U21s and senior side) due to the small pool of players available. With the small number of teams, the likelihood of this happening was not small.

In a public statement, the club reportedly doubled down on the request upon reaching both finals, and seemingly had positive feedback from the Women’s sector of the MFA. However, the club reported that despite this, they were informed by the MFA on Thursday that the fixtures would not be changed. The situation did not change despite a formal letter sent by the club and increased media pressure.

In light of this, the club pulled out from both finals and also accused the governing body of a lack of fairness and respect. In a public statement club president Dr Justin Fenech said, “Imagine if a Premier League team was given back-to-back finals. The fixture would be changed in a flash without the need of outrage. Now because this happened to a group of U17 and U21 girls the MFA have been silent and unmoving for over three days. This is the definition of discrimination and shows a total lack of respect for the game and those who work hard (for no remuneration) to promote it.”

It is as yet unclear why the governing body has refused to re-schedule the fixtures, which will go down as a walk-over. It is understood that Raiders Lija FC were presented with the trophy earlier today, as will Hibernians FC, due to Swieqi United’s lack of participation in the matches.

An Underlying Issue

The controversy puts into focus an underlying problem, which is that the back-to-back fixtures are the case for players throughout the season. With U17s and U21s matches being played on weekends, the players will have to miss one of the two fixtures on any particular weekend.

Speaking to The Sporting Fan, parents of young players playing in these leagues lamented that although the player can choose to play for more than one team (U17s, U21s and senior women’s team), the back-to-back fixturing for the U17s and U21s on weekends means that realistically younger players cannot play both continuously without risking injury.

In some cases, this has led to players eligible for the U17s and U21s, to opt for playing the U17s and then opt to play for the senior squad instead of the U21s. This is since the senior teams play on weekdays which allows such players to be eligible for both matches continuously throughout the season. This is likely to be a factor contributing to the small numbers for the U21s competition.

Such a situation puts to light the fact that players are working out their own way to play more matches in an effort to get more match practice. On the other hand, it puts into question whether this is in fact the best for them when one considers that for a player who is sixteen years old, playing in U17s and U21s may be a better fit for their development than playing with the seniors where they are likely to get less game time.

MFPA Calls for Discussion

In fact, the Malta Football Players Association (MFPA) has publicly urged for a broader discussion on the general fixturing of these leagues to prevent this from being the case next season. As for the finals, it voiced its concern that the fixtures “are scheduled to be played within twenty-four hours, despite FIFPRO’s recommended minimum seventy-two-hour break between matches.”

All players involved will undoubtedly be gutted to miss their chance to compete in a final that they worked hard to achieve. Ultimately, Swieqi United’s stance will not only affect their players but also those of Raiders Lija FC and Hibernians FC who achieved these finals but will not get a chance to truly earn their wins at the end of a long season. In the grand scheme of things, only time will tell whether the stance will lead to any change next season as the women’s game aims to take flight.