WATCH: Ħamrun Spartans Fans And President Joe Portelli Face Backlash Over Breaching COVID-19 Rules
Ħamrun Spartans football supporters and their president, Gozitan developer Joe Portelli, are facing criticism over breaching COVID-19 regulations.
A video making the rounds online that was also sent to Lovin Malta shows Ħamrun supporters breaking social distancing and mask-wearing measures during celebrations following yesterday’s 2-0 win against Birkirkara FC.
The video also shows several people, including Portelli, smoking indoors.
Last month, Spartans’ fans gathered spontaneously on Triq Schembri and Triq Mile End to celebrate a decisive 3-0 win over Valletta FC. Video footage shows the extent of the celebrations, which included lighting flares and carcades, breaking coronavirus mitigation measures in the process. No fines were dished out.
The celebrations were condemned online, including by popular football fan club the South End Core, who retaliated by issuing their own proposals to see fans return to stadiums in an attempt to ensure celebrations of this size do not occur in the future.
Portelli, whose takeover of Ħamrun Spartans has coincided with a surge to the top of the league table, is a controversial figure given his work on large scale developments across Malta and Gozo, including the Mercury House project.
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