Football ground managed by FAM turned into a dump as cleaning staff awaits unpaid salaries

The football ground in Maafannu Stadium managed by Football Association of Maldives (FAM) has turned into a dumping site due to lack of maintenance.

The football field has not been cleaned or maintained for a long period of time due to cleaning staff not reporting to work as they await being paid by FAM. According to local reports, the association owes three months wages to the employee.

General Secretary of FAM Mohamed Jaushan Shareef has admitted to the fact that the employee has not been given a regular salary, and said that they are working to pay the staff a portion of what is owed.

He also added that they are aware that the amount of trash on site has been creating difficulties for those who use the field.

“The issue has been addressed and is a concern at FAM too,” Jaushan said.

“I spoke to someone at the [Sports] Ministry as well. I informed them that we will report back with that we are able to do, in writing,” he further added, saying that they are looking into a permanent solution for the issue by next football season’s start.

At the moment Maldives’ football scene is at a standstill. A starting date for the next season is yet to be announced, and those practicing on field at the moment are only the academy students of the first division.

Speaking on the matter, a coach at one of the academies using the facility highlighted that the issue extends beyond the cleaning of the football pitch.

“The grass on the pitch is in bad shape. There’s things like a lot of bottle corks in the grass. Even if players on pitch are wearing shoes, there’s a chance of injury if they accidentally step on those,” he said.

The field is also used by a lot of children and parents have also been raising similar concerns of litter, waste and overwhelming stench of waste in the area.

FAM has been facing financial issues as of late, with the President of the Association Bassam Adeel Jaleel under investigation for misappropriation of funds.