FAM faces another shake-up as FIFA appoints new chairman

After months of uncertainty and lack of public engagement, FIFA’s Normalisation Committee overseeing the Football Association of Maldives (FAM) has undergone a leadership change.

Ahmed Zuhoor, who had served as chairman since the committee's formation in August last year, was dismissed from his position on Friday. He also announced his resignation, citing "personal reasons."

FIFA has appointed lawyer and former Prosecutor General Ahmed Muizzu as the new chairman. The three-member committee now includes financial expert and former BML chairperson Fareeha Shareef and lawyer Ismail Siman.

The Normalisation Committee, tasked with stabilising Maldivian football governance, has faced criticism for its inactivity. Over the past six months, the committee has remained largely absent from public discussions, despite its members receiving substantial allowances—$5,000 (MVR 77,100) per month for the chairman and $4,000 (MVR 61,680) for other members.

In the only press conference held since its formation, the previous chairman, Zuhoor, highlighted several pressing challenges within the FAM. Among them was an estimated debt of MVR 85 million, a lack of internal administrative structure, the need for a new constitution, and the recovery of funds lost under the former president, Bassam Adeel Jaleel.

One of the key responsibilities assigned to the committee by FIFA is to organise and conduct elections for a new FAM executive committee before the end of July 2025. However, with no clear updates on the progress of a new FAM constitution, concerns are mounting over whether the elections will proceed on schedule.