Zareer: from founder of first local football news outlet to FAM General Secretary

Ahmed Zareer (Zarra), who officially became the General Secretary of the Football Association of Maldives (FAM) on Thursday, is starting a new chapter in his football career. However, his involvement with football dates back over 20 years.

He began his journey by founding MaldivesSoccer.com, one of the earliest platforms dedicated to football in the region. At a time when print media dominated and many outlets were slow to embrace digital content, Zareer saw the potential of multimedia to revolutionize football coverage.

In 2004, he launched Maldives’ first dedicated football news outlet as an online publication, pioneering digital football journalism and providing timely news and information to fans.

The website quickly gained popularity as it was specifically created to cover Dhivehi football and provide Maldivian football news in English, becoming a valuable resource for football experts.

Following his contributions to football media, Zareer joined the board of Maldives' most successful club, New Radiant. He was a key figure in the executive committee under former chairman Ali Waheed (Balack). Beyond his board role, Zareer also managed New Radiant during the first half of their AFC Cup campaign.

Zareer was an executive committee member when Ahmed Thoriq (Tom) who was re-elected as FAM president last month, was elected for his first term as FAM President. Now, with Thoriq’s return as president, Zareer is being appointed to the association’s top administrative position due to confidence in him.

Less than five months after Thoriq’s first election, five exco members resigned simultaneously, citing failure to complete the necessary procedures to remove then-general secretary and later president Bassam Adheel Jaleel.

Amid internal conflicts and opposition within FAM, Thoriq was forced to step down. Throughout this turmoil, Zareer was one of the three exco members who stayed above the political disputes in the sports association.

An expert told Mihaaru that Thoriq would recognize the importance of appointing someone he trusts as the new General Secretary.

“It’s essentially an inside coup,” the expert said about Thoriq’s first term.

“You bring in a loyal person as General Secretary in such a situation. I don’t think he would let past experience get in the way, he’d appoint someone he’s confident in for such a crucial role.”

Zareer, currently the managing director of a government-established company promoting fisheries, expressed his appreciation for the challenge of strengthening FAM’s management.

Having also held a key role at Ooredoo, Zareer mentioned that he has recently discussed the draft organizational structure with Thoriq.

“I developed the structure of a company from the ground up and successfully launched it,” Zareer said, referring to his work with the fisheries company. “At the FA, we must start from scratch.”

He explained that administrative management will be reorganized into a separate system until football can resume according to the timeline set by Thorig. Reviving football in the provinces is the FAM’s top priority.

Zareer added that FAM will be ready to commence work in October and that the government is prioritizing the start of this year’s football season as soon as possible.

No senior football matches have been held in Maldives for the past six years. As General Secretary, Zareer faces the challenge of rebuilding the association. Additionally, the FAM Exco has appointed him as the association’s International Relations Manager.