When questioned about the issue, Visham stated that the clubs had participated after resolving their registration issues, and added that the necessary processes had been completed.
Maldives Basketball Association (MBA) General Secretary Visham Rasheed has been accused of leveraging his influence by allowing unregistered clubs to compete in the 2022 National Basketball League.
Two clubs owned by Visham; Knights Basketball Club and Vikings Basketball Club, participated in the league held in February and March 2022, despite missing the valid registration deadline.
The deadline for entries into the national competition expired on January 10, 2022.
However, records from the Sports Commissioner’s Office reveal that these clubs were officially registered on January 26, 16 days after the deadline had passed.
When questioned about the issue, Visham stated that the clubs had participated after resolving their registration issues, and added that the necessary processes had been completed.
However, Mihaaru News reported that the registration of these clubs only occurred after the participation deadline had passed.
The issue raised concerns about the influence MBA holds over association decisions, with allegations of forming "on-paper" clubs to manipulate votes at the association’s congress.
According to the MBA constitution, only clubs that are lawfully established and have participated in national-level tournaments are eligible for full membership, which allows them to vote at the association’s congress.
It is reported that these clubs were permitted to participate in the tournament in order to gain eligibility for voting at the subsequent MBA Annual General Meeting.