On the 21st December 1983.....the match between Spain and Malta, on this day, caused some controversy and saw a result which many a pundit and England supporter, particularly, wondered about! Bobby Robson was the England boss. The fixture was the final match in Qualifying Group 7 of the 1984 European Championships and the result would decide who would go on to the finals in France from that group; only one nation went forward from each European Group.
In 1982 on the 9th September, you may remember, Trevor Francis had scored twice in Copenhagen, to enable a 2-2 draw with Denmark. Then England, in November, beat Greece 3-0 in Thessalonika and then beat Luxembourg 9-0, on December 15th, at Wembley (a Luther Blissett hat trick).
A draw with Greece 0-0, in March 1983, at Wembley, was disappointing, but England bounced back by beating Hungary at home 2-0, in April and THEN crucially, lost to Denmark 0-1 at Wembley in front of just over 82,000 in September 1983. Three weeks later, England beat Hungary 3-0 in The Nepstadion, and next, Luxembourg away 4-0, in November. Denmark topped the Group by 1 point, England came second.
Not that there was much doubt about it, as four days earlier, the Netherlands had defeated Malta 5-0 in their last qualifier, which saw them finish 2 points ahead of Spain (with just 2 points for a win in those days). Spain needed a win to get level on points with the Netherlands and then it would be down to goal difference. The Netherlands had finished with a +16 goal difference, NOTE before the Malta fixture Spain were on +5. So Spain needed to beat Malta by 11 goals or more to qualify. 'Just' 11 would do as if both countries finished on +16, Spain would go top as they had scored more goals even though that had amounted so far to just 12 in their first 7 group matches.
It wasn't going to happen was it? At half time in Seville, it was only 3-1 to Spain. At the final whistle it was 12-1 to Spain and off to the finals Spain would go. Did the English smell a rat?
The match was broadcast by RTVE in Spain. Afterwards, in Malta, many claimed that the Maltese were paid to not play their best and to let Spain win by a large margin, and it was rumoured that words had been exchanged between Maltese and Spanish officials and players at half-time. In March 2018, two Maltese players, Silvio Demanuele and Carmel Busutti, claimed that Spain had been using doping as "they had foam in their mouths and could not stop drinking water". They also claim the Maltese players were drugged via lemon wedges during halftime. However, as of 2018, no evidence has come forth to support these allegations.
The Malta FA launched an inquiry into the result, and its chairman George Abela (later the actual President of Malta)) brought about changes to the national team. Abela said that a lack of facilities meant that the team lacked serious professional preparation for a tournament such as the European Championships, and the closeness of away fixtures (Malta had played in the Netherlands only four days before their 12–1 loss in Seville) was a further hindrance and such scheduling would be avoided in future.
Spain  | 12–1 |  Malta |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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