Minister Raafiu assured the parliament that a plan is in place to develop sports and football in the country in a way that represents the entire nation.
Sports Minister Abdulla Raafiu said today that efforts are underway towards establishing a system of national representation in football.
Speaking at the parliament during a summon and answering a question by MP of Mathiveri constituency Hassan Zareer, Minister Raafiu said that a long term plan has been formulated to sustainably develop football and other sports in the country, with the help of foreign experts.
Highlighting that the progress of sports has been inconsistent at times, he added that the solution to this issue would be a systematic sports development plan, which is why such a plan has now been devised and is being implemented now.
He detailed that developing the sports fields to a specific standard is now in action.
"What standards should the [sports] fields be? Where should we place the sports hubs? What should we do to participate in international competitions? Where should we do it and how do we implement [development] plans and trainings to promote football in a way that is inclusive of the whole Maldives?" Minister Raafiu answered when asked about what is being done to implement the plans.
"A framework has been devised with all these aspects in mind. To execute them. Now we're in detailed discussions with the [respective] associations to take it further," he added.
"In short, what can be done to promote football is being developed in a way that represents the whole Maldives. It's progressing at a very fast speed," the Minister assured.
Minister Raafiu's statements come at a time when the once SAARC champion country's football scene is at a standstill, and the Football Association of Maldives (FAM) is under investigation for fraud and misappropriation of FIFA awarded funds.
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