Mahibadhoo MP Ahmed Thoriq resigned as the deputy leader of the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) parliamentary group due to the conduct of Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla, informed sources have revealed.
“I resigned because I am not able to give time for fulfilling that responsibility due to personal matters at the moment,” Thoriq wrote on social media after his resignation was reported by the media.
But the real reason was an attempt to make businessman Mohamed Ali Janah, the President’s special advisor, the President of the Football Association of Maldives (FAM), sources with knowledge of the matter told Adhadhu.
Truth behind the resignation
World football governing’s body FIFA recently decided to remove Bassam Adeel Jaleel as FAM President and to hand over management to a normalisation committee. Rumours have since spread about plans to appoint Janah as head of the committee. FIFA has not officially announced this. The normalisation committee will be set up directly by FIFA but the organisation will check whether the government has any objection to appointing the committee’s chair, sources from the football world said.
“Tom is upset because Janah is to be appointed to the FAM normalising committee. He spoke to [Speaker of Parliament] Abdul Raheem. And he also said that he wished to consult with President Muizzu. But Abdul Raheem kept dragging it on saying he hasn’t been able to call President Muizzu. Tom was upset about that and resigned because of it. It was Abdul Raheem who obstructed Tom from discussing about FAM with the President,” a PNC MP said.
Thoriq was unavailable for comment.
But some of the people with knowledge of the matter told Adhadhu that President Muizzu had called Thoriq upon learning of his resignation. He asked Thoriq to withdraw his resignation. But Thoriq did not change his decision.
“That was because of how Abdul Raheem acted,” a PNC MP said.
Thoriq, who is serving a third consecutive term in the Parliament, was a talented football player before he entered politics. He played for New Radiant Sports Club and the Maldives national team. Thoriq was part of the team that won the SAFF Championship in 2008.
Thoriq has been campaigning for the FAM presidency out of his love for football. In 2016, he served as FAM president of a one-month period.
