Ali Thameem
The Football Association of Maldives (FAM) has drafted a resolution to dissolve the nine geographical zones from its statutes, and legally expand the influence of clubs in the two top divisions.
A newly rewritten version of the Articles of Association has been sent to member clubs and will be tabled for approval at the upcoming FAM Congress, scheduled for this Friday, 27 June.
If ratified, the amendments will formalize a shift in voting power within Maldivian football and expand the official number of FAM members.
Membership reshuffle: More power to clubs, zones lose legal recognition
Under current statutes, ratified in 2020, FAM membership is composed of:
Eight clubs from the first division
Ten clubs from the second divisionNine geographical zones
The draft revision proposes to:
Increase first division clubs from eight to ten
Recognize all thirteen clubs participating in the current second division as full members
Remove the nine zones entirely
The top-tier expansion accounts for newly promoted Odi Sports and Victory SC, both of whom are set to play in the 2025 Dhivehi Premier League. In effect, the amendments grant the newly promoted clubs additional electoral power in line with their league status.
With these changes, FAM’s total voting membership would rise to 23 clubs: ten from the first division and thirteen from the second. Each first-division club is entitled to two delegates with one vote each, while second-division clubs receive one delegate with one vote.
This would result in 33 total votes by clubs from just the top two divisions.
Zones had already lost influence
While the nine zones remain in the current statutes, their voting rights had already been eroded in practice. Article 22(c) of the active statutes assigns one vote per zone, but in recent elections the FAM had repeatedly violated the clause, barring zone representatives from voting. Instead, a club from the third division, formerly CBL, was permitted to cast a vote in their place. Thus, atoll representation in congress was non-existent and will continue to be so.
The proposed amendment therefore serves to legalize a long-standing practice, eliminating the zones formally while expanding voting representation of Male’-based clubs.
Save FAM: All nine geographical zones must have a seat at the table
Normalization committee’s mandate
FAM’s press release on Thursday stated that the amendments were drafted “under the guidance of the AFC and FIFA,” and that the proposals had been shared with member clubs ahead of the congress.
Statute amendment is a key mandate of the normalization committee, which has overseen FAM since August 2024. The committee was installed following repeated violations of the statutes and ongoing financial scandals. Its mandate is due to expire in July.
The committee is now chaired by Ahmed Muizzu, after the resignation of original chair Ahmed Zuhoor earlier this year.
Other items on the agenda
Besides statute reform, the 27 June congress will:
Table annual reports for 2023 and 2024
Approve the 2025 budget
Appoint independent auditors for 2025–2028
Decide on a date for the next FAM Executive Committee elections
Vote on a new electoral code
A quorum, defined as over 50% attendance, is required to proceed. Should it not be met, the meeting will be reconvened within 24 hours. However, as per Article 24(3) of the FAM statutes, any session involving amendments to the statutes still requires a quorum, even at the second attempt.
If passed, the revised Articles of Association will take effect within 30 days of the congress.
