Civil Court gives FAM and Oppo one week to negotiate settlement in Maafannu Stadium warehouse dispute

The Civil Court on Thursday gave the two sides a week to negotiate a settlement in the case filed by former national football team player Ibrahim Fazeel (Oppo)’s company against the Football Association of Maldives (FAM), refusing to vacate a warehouse at Maafannu Stadium.

This is the case filed by Oppo’s company in the Civil Court after FAM repeatedly ordered the company to vacate what it says is an illegally built warehouse on land allocated to the association at Maafannu Stadium.

The hearing on the interim order sought by Oppo began on Thursday, during which the Civil Court granted a week for both parties to attempt a settlement. If no solution is reached within that period, a decision will be made on the interim order, Chief Judge Maryam Waheed said.

Oppo’s company, Future Homes Pvt Ltd, filed the suit after the FAM executive committee decided to take legal action against the company for not vacating the warehouse. It is understood that FAM had asked the company to vacate the land on several occasions before reaching that decision. However, the company refused to vacate the land and eventually filed a lawsuit against FAM.

Through the lawsuit, the company sought an order preventing FAM from vacating the land until the case is resolved. In addition, Oppo has asked the Civil Court to determine that the company is entitled to compensation for damages.

According to FAM, Oppo’s company built the warehouse on land within the Maafannu Stadium area that the government allocated to the association for 50 years from 2017 to run FIFA Forward projects. Future Homes Pvt Ltd, which constructed the warehouse in the area designated for stadium use, has repeatedly objected to vacating the land, FAM said.

FAM stated that Oppo built a two-storey warehouse on 2,700 square feet of land at Maafannu Stadium. The warehouse was leased for 25 years without rent. FAM said the company paid MVR 1.8 million to the association in exchange for cleaning the area, but no agreement was signed regarding the MVR 1.8 million payment.

FAM further said the 2,700-square-foot building was constructed without any permission or approved drawings from the Ministry of Construction and Infrastructure or the Male' City Council.