The Football Association of Maldives (FAM) has acknowledged the absence of an appeals body to oversee grievances regarding its upcoming elections. In a statement, the national football body acknowledged that it has not formed an Electoral Appeals Committee as required by the regulations governing its elections.
The statement indicated the association is working to rectify this issue with guidance from both FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). FAM has also informed these regional and global football governing bodies of the additional time needed to reorganise the election procedures in accordance with directives from these organisations.
The election process of the FAM came under intense scrutiny after Ahmed Thariq (Tom), a former FAM president and current candidate, lodged a formal complaint with FIFA. Thariq, who is competing against Mufaviz Hashim (Mufa), the Vice Chairman of Club Eagles, challenged the legitimacy of the electoral committee overseeing the elections. This challenge followed the rejection of his candidacy by the electoral committee. Subsequently, Thariq filed an appeal.
The appeal process was hindered by the absence of an Electoral Appeals Committee, preventing any meetings from being held to hear the complaint. Thariq, who has the support of half of FAM’s member clubs, contends that the rejection of his candidature contravenes FIFA’s statutes.
Mohamed Tholal, the Commissioner of Sports, has expressed concerns about the governance and procedural aspects of the elections, suggesting a postponement. The FAM called for elections with six months remaining in Bassam Adel Jaleel’s presidential term.