Spectator health and safety at Maltese football stadia

Abstract

Football is the most popular sport in Malta with hundreds of people attending the National Stadium and other grounds where matches are held every weekend. The aim of this thesis was fivefold. An appraisal and analysis of all the Maltese laws applicable to spectator health and safety at Maltese football stadia was done. A comprehensive guide was built as to what laws must be respected, applied, and enforced by the relevant entitites. An appraisal of The Council of Europe Convention on an Integrated Safety, Security, and Service approach at football matches and other sports events (CETS 218) as well as the Recommendation, which forms part of CETS 218, of the Standing Committee on Safety, Security and Service at football matches and other sport events was done. The UEFA Safety and Security Regulations and the FIFA Stadium Safety and Security Regulations were also analysed and appraised. The analysis was done in the context of French and Polish Law. The French have the Code du Sport, whilst Poland has the Act of 2009 on Mass Events Security, which has a specific chapter dedicated wholly to football matches, readily translated into English by Poland itself. To conclude, recommendations of what can be done to bridge and obliterate the lacuna identified by the researcher were proposed by the latter. The researcher suggested the enactment of two subsidiary legislations. One would establish and entrench the functions of an Authority which would be responsible for spectator health and safety in stadia and other grounds in toto, as well as provide all necessary definitions. The second one, promulgated by such Authority, would work upon the transposition of CETS 218, its principles, and the Recommendation, lay down health and safety standards, and enforce such standards, to effectively ensure spectator health and safety in all places related to football.