The Football Association of Maldives (FAM) has received a payment of USD100,000 from the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) with the condition that it settles outstanding salaries owed to its employees.
Some FAM staff members have not been paid for over six months, leading to resignations. In addition, pension deductions from the salaries of employees were made by FAM, but the corresponding funds were not remitted to the pension office.
FIFA has temporarily suspended further payments to FAM but made an initial deposit of USD100,000, emphasising that these funds must be used exclusively for salary payments. FIFA has also committed to providing a total of USD300,000 to FAM, contingent on the specified conditions. An additional payment will be considered once FAM provides a detailed account of how the initial funds were utilized.
In response to allegations of financial mismanagement and embezzlement of FIFA funds, the Maldives Police Service (MPS) has confiscated the passport of FAM President Bassam Adeel Jaleel. The Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) had indicated earlier the possibility of filing charges against Bassam, citing significant allegations of financial fraud, pending the accumulation of supporting evidence.