Retail outlets replacing the present Sliema Wanderers FC pitches in Tigné Point will be operated by the Dizz Group, whose co-owner sits on a body that considers ventures between sports clubs and commercial entities, it has emerged.
A spokesman for the Youth, Sport and Voluntary Organisations Parliamentary Secretariat said the fashion retailer’s co-owner, Karl Izzo, a member of the Commercial Sports Facilities Commission, would not be involved in the project evaluation process.
According to plans unveiled in August, the two indoor football pitches on two levels at the Tigné complex will be converted into offices and retail outlets.
The project is the first of its kind and will see the football club taking advantage of new legislation allowing sports organisations to commercialise venues, a move the government hopes would help them become financially self-sufficient.
The law specifies that the size of the sports facilities could not decrease as a result of a commercialisation project.
Sliema Wanderers FC president Keith Perry told the Times of Malta when the move was first announced that the sports footprint would be doubled if the changes were approved.
The planned project must…
