Oppo’s company files Civil Court case after FAM orders eviction from Maafannu Stadium land

Former national footballer Ibrahim Fazeel (Oppo)’s company, Future Homes Pvt Ltd, has filed a lawsuit against the Football Association of Maldives (FAM) in the Civil Court.

The FAM Executive Committee decided last week to take legal action against Future Homes for failing to vacate what the association says is an illegally built warehouse at the Maafannu Stadium area. FAM said the company had been asked multiple times to vacate the land before the decision was made.

However, Future Homes refused to leave the premises and subsequently filed a case in the Civil Court. The court has now accepted the case and the company is seeking an order to block FAM’s eviction efforts. In addition, Future Homes has asked the court to determine that the company is entitled to compensation for damages it claims to have suffered.

FAM stated last week that Oppo’s company constructed a warehouse on land within the Maafannu Stadium area, land that the government allocated to FAM for 50 years in 2017 to implement FIFA Forward projects. According to FAM, Future Homes has repeatedly objected to vacating the land.

FAM said Oppo built a two-storey warehouse on a 2,700-square-foot plot, and that the land had been leased to the company for 25 years without rent. Future Homes claims the land was provided in exchange for an MVR 1.8 million waste-disposal agreement, but FAM says no such contract exists.

FAM further stated that the building was constructed without any permits or approved drawings from the Ministry of Construction and Infrastructure or the Male' City Council.