MVR 300,000 in rent from FAM warehouses, tenants unknown

The Normalization Committee of Football Association of Maldives (FAM) has said on Wednesday that the association had been receiving regular payments from rented warehouses.

The warehouses are located on the ground floor of the new building of the association, which started development under the FIFA Forward Project in 2020.

South Korea’s Skywing Global was contracted to develop the project – encompassing a 20-storey structure and a four futsal fields – but had not moved forward since FAM had not been making payments to the developer.

The Normalization Committee on Wednesday raised multiple concerns about the project – especially related to the warehouses developed on the property. The Chairman of the committee, Ahmed Muizzu said that some the building’s top floors have been rented out to various parties, though the committee was unable to trace any formal agreements made between the tenants.

The discovery of these rented properties was made due to various documents pertaining to the tenants.

“So far, we have not learned who these tenants are, and we are not even certain if these places have been formally rented out or not, but [the association] has been receiving around MVR 300,000 in rent payments,” Muizzu said.

He also pointed out other operations carried out by different parties on the property but noted that the committee has not been able to learn the exact nature of these activities.

FIFA stepped in last year and normalized FAM after the association faced allegations of corruption and misconduct. FAM’s then president, Bassam Adeel Jaleel was suspended following these allegations.

Prior to his suspension – during an earlier press briefing – Bassam assured that there was no unscrupulous conduct in the project.