The President of the Football Association of Maldives (FAM), Ahmed Tariq (Tom), has stated that the most significant task currently facing Maldivian football is to change the country’s football system. Describing the current state of football, Tariq said that the biggest problem is the failure to hold some competitive tournaments. He mentioned that the Dhivehi Premier League and the Atoll Tournament have been suspended for years.
“Previously, there was no system for qualifying for the Maldives Premier League that involved the entire country. So, what we did first at EXCO was to establish that system,” Tariq said.
Tariq explained that the reason this change hasn’t been implemented in the Maldives until now is due to trying to start only after perfecting everything. “First, we want to start by initiating the Atoll Football Tournament, and then have teams qualify through that. We plan to finish the first year and then have teams qualify for the Premier League in the second year. This is how we want to change the league system,” Tariq said, sharing information about the most significant change implemented so far.
Tariq stated that football was in a dire state, and that since the election, they have been reviewing and taking action on issues within FAM, both past and present.
Tariq also mentioned that up to now, they have been working on examining FAM’s land-related mattersrelated matters and agreements that were not beneficial to FAM, verifying the validity of these agreements.
