We can still find pirates in European football.
This story is about a Spanish amateur player who went to play football with SK Victoria Wanderers in Gozo 1st division (Malta) this summer 2014. His name is Adolfo Sanz Ortiz, a prolific Spanish goal scorer who was received by the Gozan club with great delight when he started scoring non-stop goals for the club, including a last minute goal beating local rivals Victoria Hotspurs.
This story is about a Spanish amateur player who went to play football with SK Victoria Wanderers in Gozo 1st division (Malta) this summer 2014. His name is Adolfo Sanz Ortiz, a prolific Spanish goal scorer who was received by the Gozan club with great delight when he started scoring non-stop goals for the club, including a last minute goal beating local rivals Victoria Hotspurs.
Adolfo accepted basic conditions (without a contract) which included a return air ticket, accommodation and some pocket money for his stay on the island.
The reality of the dream started to collapse when he found out that the Spanish coach of Wanderers, GUILLERMO GANET was receiving money under the table in his name.
One day Adolfo communicated to the club that he wanted to leave the club given that he had no binding contract that would tie him to the club and that he wanted to return to Spain to visit his ailing grandfather.
So he did, he left the club and returned to Spain. After a couple of months in Spain Adolfo received a job opportunity in Cyprus with a 2nd division team that offered him a professional contract.
The surprise came when Victoria Wanderers opposed and blocked the issuing of his release letter, a requirement to obtain his ITC document, and started making up stories that the player owed them money. The club even tried to blackmail his agent requesting 3000 EUR to issue the release letter.
In reprisal against the unwanted departure of Adolfo, the club decided to fire the other Spanish player, Pedro Tarancon who until that moment had been a exemplary player and a pillar in the backline.
And here Adolfo finds himself in Cyprus, wanting to develop his career, wanting to continue doing what he is best at, scoring goals and helping his new team, Omonia Aradippou, but facing the dark and pirate opposition of Brian Azzopardi, president of Victoria Wanderers and Keith Vella Muscat , the Secretary of the club blocking the progress of a player and trying once again blackmail as a tool to obtain money.
We have to remind here that FIFA allows an over 22 amateur player to leave his club with or without prior notice to pursue a professional contract.
We hope that FIFA intervenes here and remind these guys their duty with the player and with FIFA regulations.
SK Victoria Wanderers are a wonderful club with great people supporting their club, but they don't deserve officials like Brian Azzopardi and Keith Muscat who are really jeopardising the future of the club risking a FIFA punishment.
It's clear that this type of behaviour is very common in Gozean football, because the President of the Football Association, Mr Alvin Grech, who is a relative of one of these officials was sentenced to 5 months jail sentence for falsification of documentation.
It's clear that this type of behaviour is very common in Gozean football, because the President of the Football Association, Mr Alvin Grech, who is a relative of one of these officials was sentenced to 5 months jail sentence for falsification of documentation.
