FAM orders no changes to football school land
The land was allocated to FAM in 2017 for the construction of a sports arena and office building funded by FIFA.
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The Football Association of Maldives (FAM) has ordered that no changes be made to the land leased for the establishment of a football school or training facility in Hulhumalé.
The directive follows two separate orders issued by FAM concerning the land allocated for the football school and the land for the association near Maafannu Stadium.
FAM stated in a Civil Court notice that the previous management had failed to pay rent for the land. Current users of the land have been instructed not to alter any existing buildings or construct new structures on the premises.
Those who have subleased the land have been asked to submit their agreements and all related documents to FAM by 2:30 p.m. on 24 August, either via mail or by visiting the FAM office at the official stadium.
The land was allocated to FAM in 2017 for the construction of a sports arena and office building funded by FIFA.
FAM has previously stated that rent remained unpaid due to sublease agreements made without public announcement or open bidding. In some cases, the entire land was leased for 40 years, with certain plots subleased for even longer periods.
While FAM’s rent was set at MVR 10 per acre, some sublease agreements were reportedly made at MVR 3 per acre, with payments collected in lump sums. FAM said that much of this money did not appear in the association’s accounts. Additionally, while FAM had no grace period for paying rent, some subleases included extended grace periods. Certain agreements also stipulated large compensation payouts to tenants if contracts were terminated for any reason.
According to an Audit Office report on the Ministry of Sports for 2018, funds for the project were allocated from the Ministry of Youth’s contingency budget without tender board approval, and the contract was awarded to a contractor after excluding lower-priced bidders.
Police and the Anti-Corruption Commission are investigating multiple corruption allegations involving former FAM President Bassam Adeel Jaleel, who has already been charged in two cases.
