Police have begun investigating sexual assault allegations against the Volleyball Association of Maldives (VAM) head coach Sofwan Ahmed.

Sofwan is accused of sexually assaulting a female player. When questioned about the matter, the police media official confirmed that an investigation connected to a coach was underway.

But they did not disclose the suspect's identity and no arrests have been made.

Sofwan was suspended for five years by the VAM in October 2025 following the allegations. The association's executive committee decided to take four measures against him.

They ordered Sofwan, appointed in May 2024, to be removed from the position of coach of the women's team and not to allow him to take up such a position for the next five years.

They also decided to ban him from VAM competitions for the next five years, remove him from the VAM executive committee and ban him from holding any elective position in the VAM for the next five years.

The VAM took the measures after suspending Sofwan. During that time, the national women's team trained under the guidance of coach Mohamed Nadeem.

Similar sexual assault allegations against Sofwan surfaced on social media previously and some players had also shared their complaints with the association. But no action was taken against him at the time.