Pembroke Athleta’s Premier League berth could be taken by Sta Lucia, says MFA

Newly-promoted club applies for National Amateur League licence despite top-flight promotion

Sta Lucia are set to replace Pembroke Athleta in the 2022-23 BOV Premier League should the newly-promoted side pursue with their plan to forfeit their place in the top-flight and decide to play in the National Amateur League.

This was revealed during Wednesday’s MFA Executive Board meeting that discussed Pembroke Pembroke Athleta SC license application and its impact on the National League.

“With an amateur status Pembroke Athleta would participate in the National Amateur League. In the process, one vacancy would be created for season 2022-23 in the Premier League and another in the Challenge League,” the Malta FA said in a statement.

“The Board saw the relevant regulations to confirm that the Club could effectively choose to apply for such licence. Furthermore, it referred to the regulations that govern the impact of such vacancy and the way it ought to be filled.

“According to Article 5 of the Rules Governing Competitions when a vacancy is available in any division, the Board shall fill it with the Club which had been sportingly relegated.”

The MFA said that applying this principle, Santa Lucija FC would take the place of Pembroke Athleta SC in the Premier League and Vittoriosa Stars FC would take the vacant place in the Challenge League created through the non-relegation of Santa Lucija FC.

Vittoriosa Stars FC finished the Challenge League 2021/22 in the 9th place from 11 clubs in Group A, where Pembroke Athleta participated.

In line with this position, the Malta FA President Bjorn Vassallo explained that the competence of the Executive Board was limited to the composition of the National League.

This will be confirmed once the deadline for club license applications is reached on July 1.