As Malta prepare to face Lithuania and the Netherlands in their next international outings, a social media post by Randall Vella, brother of midfielder Dunstan Vella, has cast a shadow over the national team’s preparations. His lengthy and emotional message accuses the Malta Football Association and its technical staff of favouritism, lack of meritocracy, and systemic flaws that undermine the credibility of the national team setup.
At the heart of the criticism is Dunstan Vella’s omission from the final squad list. Despite being voted Player of the Year by the same national team coaches within the MFA, Vella has been left out. Randall finds it hard to accept that his brother, after such a successful season, is overlooked in favour of players who are not regulars at their clubs, some of whom compete in leagues below the standard of the Maltese Premier League. Others, he points out, are not even currently involved in club action, with some sidelined due to disciplinary reasons.
Randall claims that while he and his brother have always respected coaching decisions at both club and national levels, this particular omission crosses a line. He questions what message is being sent when consistency, professionalism, and performance are ignored, and when loyalty to a system seems to outweigh sporting logic.
The post goes further, alleging that Dunstan’s exclusion may be part of a systematic and even media-driven targeting. Randall stops short of naming individuals but refers to a prominent technical figure currently involved in team selection who previously led the under-21 national team through what he calls a disastrous campaign. Under this coach’s leadership, Malta suffered a record number of goals conceded and failed to collect even a single point. This individual has since been promoted to assistant coach of the senior side and now plays a role in deciding who makes the final squad.
Randall also directs his frustration at the local football media, highlighting a well-known television pundit whom he accuses of consistently glorifying players from particular clubs while disregarding others. This figure, according to Randall, is given weekly airtime and treated as a prophet of Maltese football, all for having once beaten Estonia, not France, with a team stacked with Malta’s best talent. The implication is that narratives in the local media landscape are being shaped by partiality and long-standing allegiances rather than merit and fair analysis.
Randall Vella clarifies that he is not speaking on behalf of Dunstan, who has always let his football do the talking. But as a brother and passionate supporter of local football, he says he cannot stay silent in the face of what he sees as blatant injustice. He paints a bleak picture of a football system that is top-heavy, self-serving, and increasingly alienating to those who believe in fairness and transparency.
His final words are a message of solidarity: “Kuraġġ Dunst – aħna warajk.” It’s a personal show of support, one that resonates beyond the Vella family and taps into a growing sentiment among Maltese football supporters who feel disconnected from the way their national team is being managed.
