Sports integrity watchdogs Federbet are suing the Malta Football Association (MFA) for publicly questioning Federbet’s motivation for pointing out suspected instances of match-fixing.

Last Friday (4), Federbet gave a presentation to the European Parliament in Brussels in which it repeated allegations made this June that Maltese football is rife with corruption and match-fixing.

Following the presentation, MFA Integrity Officer Franz Trabone released a statement claiming that Federbet’s allegations were “not based on tangible information.”

Trabone went on to say that Federbet’s allegations were made “purely for commercial purposes,” because Federbet has so far “not succeeded in earning the recognition of football associations” such as UEFA and the MFA. The gist was that Federbet’s claims of uncovering corruption not found by other watchdogs were intended to attract attention to the services it markets to sporting bodies.