Normalization Committee Statistics: FAM debt beyond MVR 85 million

Information gathered from the Normalization Committee appointed to oversee the management of Football Association of Maldives (FAM) has revealed that the association's total debt amount to over MVR 85 million.

The Normalization Committee has yet to disclose information regarding the association's debt or its mismanagement so far.

A source speaking to Mihaaru News revealed that the association's total debt to both foreign and local parties exceeds MVR 85 million.

The court has concluded several hearings related to FAM's debt, issuing various verdicts mandating the settlement of overdue payments owed to external parties. Most of the cases involve rulings to resolve payments in US dollars, where funds were originally obtained in Maldivian rufiyaa under the pretext of converting them into US dollars.

Several cases involving transactions made under the guise of converting funds into US dollars surfaced during the tenure of former FAM President Bassam Adeel Jaleel. He ia also accused of money laundering and fraud in many of these cases.

Trials have now commenced for some of the cases involving former FAM President Bassam Adeel Jaleel. A travel ban has been imposed on him until the trials are concluded, and his passport has been seized. Additionally, FIFA has suspended Bassam from participating in all football-related activities following the allegations.

Civil Court ruled earlier this month that the Football Association of Maldives (FAM) must compensate MVR 1.5 million to State Trading Organization (STO) for failing to organize the South League as part of the Dhivehi Premier League for the southern atolls, which STO had sponsored.

FAM also owes a significant portion of payments to several local football clubs. Additionally, the association has accumulated an exorbitant wage bill due to its failure to pay employee salaries.

Also included in the list of unpaid debts are various foreign officials who served as referees at tournaments organized by FAM over the years. This includes referees who officiated during the SAFF Championship hosted in the Maldives in October 2021.

The issue of FAM failing to award the prize money for this tournament was also raised during the SAFF Congress held in June this year.

SAFF Secretariat highlighted that the unpaid prize pool for the SAFF Championship, including the prize money for champion, India, and participation fees for the teams, as well as the SAFF ownership fee, are among the dues owed by FAM.

SAFF Secretariat revealed that they had repeatedly requested the settlement of the fees, which have now remained overdue for nearly three years.

Normalization Committee has also faced criticism for not yet holding a press conference to address the ongoing issues.