The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has suspended Bassam Adeel Jaleel, President of the Football Association of Maldives (FAM), for nine months.
FIFA’s Investigatory Chamber said in a statement that the decision was taken following a criminal inquiry by the Maldives’ Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO).
The PGO had initiated a search of FAM’s offices on 22 October 2023 and found evidence of money laundering, corruption, and misuse of funds received by the FAM.
The Investigatory Chamber, in an ongoing investigation, found that Jaleel had used his influence as the FAM’s top official to obtain gifts and misused funds earmarked by FIFA for the Maldives’ footballing body.
Jaleel, whose passport was also withheld pending the outcome of the PGO investigation, has been informed of his suspension, the world’s footballing governing body said. Jaleel’s second term as FAM President is set to expire on 2 July.
First elected as FAM president in 2016, Jaleel was elected to a second term in 2020. The FAM has been in financial trouble throughout his second term with millions in outstanding dues.
Meanwhile, the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) has taken up the matter of FAM’s mismanagement of funds during the 2021 SAFF Championship with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
