Hussain ‘Jawa’ Jawaz has confirmed to local media that he has tendered his resignations as the General Secretary of the Football Association of Maldives (FAM). He later posted a message to FAM’s WhatsApp media group, confirming again that he had decided to leave the FAM after 24 years and three months and thanked those who supported him through his time.
“This is not an easy decision,” Jawa wrote on WhatsApp.
Mohamed Jaushan Shareef, the FAM’s legal director, has now been appointed as interim general secretary.
The FAM is under increasing pressure and many are calling for the resignation of the association’s president Bassam Adeel Jaleel.
Speaking with local media recently, Jaleel said that when many point out that the FAM failed, it cannot be said that it was the fault of any one individual, and that it should be seen as an organisational failing.
While Jaleel is in his second term as FAM President, Jawaz has been involved in the day-to-day running of the FAM as General Secretary during both those terms.
The FAM, which has also been accused of money laundering, is facing numerous financial troubles and facing administrative challenges.
Jawaz, who joined the FAM in 1999, has held various positions within the association. While he has been the manager of the national football team, he first became general secretary in 2014.
Jawa’s resignation, after having served as the chief de mission of the Maldivian contingent at the most recent Commonwealth Games, comes at a time when FAM has failed to pay employees for the past seven months. In addition, the Amari Dhaka hotel, where the Maldivian National Team had stayed during their World Cup preliminary qualifier match in Bangladesh, sought payment from FAM on numerous occasions for unpaid hotel bills amounting to US$19,651.38 (MVR 303,000), which had been overdue since 15 October.
FAM has been under investigative scrutiny for other irregularities, with the Police currently conducting a criminal investigation into the association over allegations of corruption, money laundering, and misappropriation of funds.
