Mauroof ‘Maatte’ Ahmed has been appointed as Special Advisor on Sports Decentralisation to Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Fitness Abdulla Rafiu.
Developing high-performance athletes is a major priority for the current government.
According to the veteran footballer and coach, his responsibilities include advising on decentralising sports development, with a focus on identifying and nurturing high-performance athletes, and expanding sports development beyond Male’ to the atolls. He will help design a national plan to expand sports across the country, and play a leading role in building athlete development systems in the atolls.
Mauroof holds a Master’s degree in Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, as well as a Postgraduate Diploma in Sponsorship. Widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in Maldivian football history, Mauroof achieved significant success with Victory Sports Club during his football career. He has also held several government roles, including Director at Ministry of Higher Education, Employment and Social Security from 2004 to 2006, later Assistant Director General at the same ministry, as well as Deputy Minister of Home Affairs.
He has also undertaken key sports administration roles such as Technical Director, General Secretary, National Team Manager at Football Association of Maldives (FAM), Managing Director of Maldives Sports Corporation, and Chairman of FAM Awards Committee.