Popular football referee Malla Lhathuthu dies
President Muizzu expressed his condolences to the family of Malla, an exemplary personality of national service.
Famous football referee Malla Lhathuthu passed away on Thursday.
Although his death has been confirmed, it is not yet clear how he died. He will turn 76 this year.
With the news of Malla's death, there has been a surge of condolence messages from various quarters of the public. In a post on X, President Mohamed Muizzu said the death of the football referee, who had served the country for more than half a century, was a "great loss" to the country's sports industry.
In the field of sports, Malla has won almost all the awards and honours in Maldives. He has received awards including:
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National Encouragement Award
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National Honourary Award
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Long Service to the State Award
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Sports Lifetime Achievement Award
President Muizzu also expressed his condolences to the family of Malla, an exemplary personality of national service.
"May Allah keep the late Malla in His abundant mercy and forgiveness, and in the eternal blessings of paradise. Amen”, the President’s condolence message read.
Malla Lhathuthu is a long-time top football referee in Maldives, making invaluable contributions to the development of sports for a period of 52 years.
In addition to sports, he has also served in the government for a long time.
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Malla entered the government service young, at the age of 16, in 1964 as a soldier
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He has since served as English Secretary to the Registration Division of the Home Affairs and Secretary to the Sports Section
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He served in STO for about 16 years
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He also served in the Ministry of Construction for 11 years
After more than 43 years of service to the Maldivian state, Malla Lhathuthu retired in 2010.
