The Football Association of Maldives stands to receive USD 25 million, roughly MVR 386 million, over four years if a sweeping new FIFA development package wins approval. The proposal forms part of a USD 6.35 billion global fund that would deliver the same sum to each of FIFA’s 211 member associations for the 2027 to 2030 cycle.
According to reports citing sources close to the process, the plan is under discussion at today’s FIFA Council meeting in Zurich. Final details on eligibility, payment schedules, conditions and audit requirements are expected to be settled by the Council in December, with formal approval targeted for the FIFA Congress in March 2027.
FIFA would draw part of the money from its financial reserves, swollen by the commercial success of the expanded 48-team 2026 World Cup. Officials estimate revenue for the recent cycle reached around USD 15 billion, well above earlier forecasts. The package also includes USD 99 million for each of the six continental confederations and smaller sums for regional associations and solidarity programmes.
One third of the association-level funding is earmarked for women’s and youth football development, one third for infrastructure with equal access requirements, and one third for other projects. The sums far exceed the minimum USD 10 million per association that UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin and CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani had demanded only weeks earlier.
A Timely Boost for a Federation Still Cleaning Up
For Maldivian football the potential injection arrives at a delicate moment. FAM is still rebuilding after years of financial turmoil linked to its former leadership. In September FIFA’s Independent Ethics Committee banned former president Bassam Adeel Jaleel from all football-related activity for life and fined him one million Swiss francs. The committee found he had misused FIFA COVID-19 relief funds for personal benefit.
Former finance and administration director Mohamed Ageel received a 10-year ban and a 100,000 Swiss franc fine for facilitating and concealing the misuse, using falsified documents and failing to cooperate with investigators. Local courts have also convicted Jaleel on related embezzlement and money-laundering charges, resulting in lengthy prison sentences.
Those scandals left FAM with restricted access to international funding, unpaid staff and a normalisation process overseen by FIFA. In late September the Asian Football Confederation waived a USD 253,030 debt that had arisen from earlier misuse of AFC assistance and lifted related financial restrictions. FAM is now eligible to apply for AFC programmes from 2027, though approval is not automatic.
Under current president Ahmed Thoriq the association has begun stabilising its budget. The 2026 operating budget sits at around MVR 48 million, with the largest single contribution expected from existing FIFA support. A successful new multi-year package on the scale proposed would dwarf those figures and give the federation significant room to invest in leagues, national teams, women’s football and facilities across the atolls.
Political Backdrop and Conditions Still Unclear
The funding proposal emerges as FIFA president Gianni Infantino prepares to seek a further term in March 2027. An earlier plan to open commercial rights in FIFA’s premium competitions to private investment collapsed under opposition from UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation. The new development package is widely viewed as an attempt to rebuild goodwill with member associations by returning a larger share of World Cup profits directly to the grassroots.
Payment schedules and strict conditions of use have yet to be finalised. Past experience in the Maldives shows that large international grants can disappear without robust oversight. Any eventual disbursement is likely to come with detailed reporting, audit and eligibility requirements designed to prevent a repeat of the earlier COVID-fund abuses.
For now the money remains a proposal. If approved and properly managed it could provide Maldivian football with its most substantial external boost in years. Whether that translates into better pitches, stronger youth pathways and more competitive national teams will depend on how carefully the funds are spent once they arrive.
