The electoral congress to elect the president of the Football Association has been decided to be held this evening, which marks the 60th Independence Day of the Maldives. Teams from FIFA, the world football organization, and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have already arrived in Male for this congress. This time, only former national forward Ahmed Thoriq (Tom) is running for the election. Therefore, today’s congress will hold a secret ballot for the Member of Parliament for Mahibadhoo constituency to secure the most powerful position in Maldivian football. Tom is running for the presidency with the support of all clubs eligible to vote in the election.
Tom, who played excellently as a forward for the national team, served as the president of FAM for four months in 2015. He lost his position that time when the majority of his executive committee resigned. Tom, who played for New Radiant, Valencia, and VB, is getting the presidency this time when Maldivian football is at a very low point. This comes at a time when numerous corruption cases have surfaced from the vacant FAM management, especially involving former president Bassam Adeel Jaleel, leaving FAM heavily in debt. According to current estimates, FAM’s debt has reached 150 million. Moreover, it has been over a year and a half since a national-level football tournament was last held in the Maldives.
In a previous interview with PSM Sports, Tom said he hopes to bring FAM back to normal within one year.
