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Joseph Muscat Wants Penalties To Settle Football League Draws To Increase Unpredictability And Drama 

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Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has proposed scrapping draws in football league games, with all matches that finish square settled by penalty shootouts.

In a LinkedIn post, Muscat said that league games that end all square at the end of 90 minutes should go to penalty shootouts, with the winner receiving two points and the loser receiving one.

He also suggested increasing the points tally for wins from three to four points to further incentivise teams to win during 90 minutes instead of playing for a draw and trying their luck on penalties.

This system would essentially create four tiers of league points – a victory after 90 minutes, a victory following a draw, a defeat following a draw, and a defeat after 90 minutes.

Muscat argued that this system would make leagues more exciting by adding a dose of unpredictability to proceedings and assuring viewers “at least 10 minutes of spectacle and drama in every match”.

To back up his argument, he said that UEFA’s decision to scrap away goals from the Champions League as of this season has led to more offensive and exciting football 

“The underlying lesson within the market-like dynamic of the game is that incentives to offensive tactics will provide less predictability, more spectacle, increased viewership and eventually more revenues, hopefully to be redirected to grassroot football,” he said.

“Even though some football gurus do believe that a goalless draw equates to a perfect game, lack of goals and a draw result are some of the biggest turnoffs in sport. This was probably one of the main reasons behind starting giving 3 instead of 2 points for league victories some three decades back. On the contrary, penalty kicks are some of the most attention grabbing instances during a match.”

Joseph Muscat playing football with his daughter Etoile in 2019

Joseph Muscat playing football with his daughter Etoile in 2019

Muscat resigned as Prime Minister in 2019 after links emerged between his chief of staff Keith Schembri and Daphne Caruana Galizia murder suspect Yorgen Fenech. 

In his final speech as leader in January 2020, Muscat said he intends to focus on pushing for civil rights reform and working within the sports sector, which he described as a “huge passion” of his.

A few days later, he was linked to a job with the Malta Football Association in connection with plans by MFA President Bjorn Vassallo to send a Maltese club to compete in Serie C.

However, this plan never materialised and Muscat never took up a job with the MFA. 

Muscat has since become a management consultant based at a government office in Sa Maison, which was given to him as part of a severance package following his resignation. 

However, with no website promoting his services and contact details or even any signs indicating the existence of his office, Muscat’s clients tend to be referred to him through word of mouth. 

What do you think of Muscat’s proposal? 

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Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]

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