‘The Problem Lies In The Word Hope’: Malta’s Water Polo Captain Laments Crushing Defeat And Calls For More Government Support
The captain of Malta’s national water polo team has taken to Facebook to reflect on the team’s disappointing run at the European Championships, citing a lack of a ‘structured and qualified government entity’ for sports in general.
“It definitely is not the result we hoped for. However, the problem lies exactly there in the word ‘hope’. We competed against teams that form objectives and not expectations. They do not simply hope for good results but work towards them. Nothing is improvised and everything is structured. If we as a nation dare to have ‘expectations’ we must first learn and respect that there’s a due process, ” Stevie Camilleri said.
Malta put on a poor performance at the European Championships in Budapest ending the tournament in dead last and with a total of zero points.
Many of the losses went to high profile teams like Spain and Hungary but the biggest disappointment was the loss against equally-matched Turkey.
Following the disappointing run, captain Stevie Camilleri explained some of the reasons why his team performed so poorly and called for a specific government entity to be formed to provide structure for sports in general.
“We as athletes will shoulder the responsibility however we in return expect an entity that supports us and puts us in a position to aspire for better results. Our association has done its utmost possibly beyond their limits however it is not enough. It is high time a structured and qualified government entity is formed and sport, in general, gets the respect it deserves,” he said.
Camilleri cited the fact that the national team doesn’t receive enough support from government entities to ‘aspire for better results’ and that sports, in general, don’t get the respect it deserves.
He also stated that the issue lies in the word “hope” and that other countries work towards objectives instead of relying on expectations like Malta.
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