Valencia allege FAM is under influence

Club Valencia has stated that it will not accept the disciplinary action taken by FAM against Green Streets regarding the latter's failure to show up for their Dhiraagu Dhivehi Premier League match against New Radiant last Thursday.

Valencia, who was relegated to the Second Division as a result of the outcome of that missed match, alleged that FAM is under outside influence.

Due to Green Streets' absence from the match, regulations dictated a 2-0 forfeit victory for their opponents.

Consequently, Green Streets secured ninth place in the league on goal difference and maintained their position in the First Division. Had Green Streets attended the match and lost by a margin of five goals, Valencia would have been saved, and Green Streets would have been relegated instead.

Therefore, Valencia and many within the football community allege Green Streets if match fixing by intentionally missing the match to get the result at 2-0.

In this matter, FAM’s Disciplinary Committee decided to ban Green Streets from buying or selling players in the upcoming transfer window and fined them MVR 50,000. Valencia had hoped that after reviewing the case, the committee would deduct points from Green Streets.

In a statement released this afternoon rejecting the decision, Valencia said that, first and foremost, the punishment shows FAM acknowledges that Green Streets committed a major offense, deliberately forfeiting a match, which is akin to match-fixing and usually carries severe penalties in football. They argued that, under such circumstances, issuing a penalty typically reserved for common everyday football occurrences is unacceptable.

Furthermore, Valencia believes that banning activity in the transfer market is not a logical punishment, as the next transfer period is in May or June, and the club still has the opportunity to renew and register all its current players' contracts.

Valencia’s statement further noted that although they submitted the case because the club's rights were violated, none of the points they raised were considered in the final decision.

Additionally, despite being the party that filed the case, Valencia stated they were not given the opportunity to appeal.

"Therefore, this club believes this is a decision made by intentionally prioritizing matters other than football and yielding to powerful hands, with the aim of not taking actions such as point deductions or relegation against Green Streets, which are the types of penalties given for match-fixing," the statement said.

Valencia also noted that they have shared this matter with FIFA and the AFC.

Despite Valencia’s allegations, Green Streets has denied the claims. "The club denies all allegations that the match was intentionally forfeited. Furthermore, these are allegations made without any truth or evidence," the club stated.