Fasir brothers lead Eydhafushi to Gold Cup glory, defeating Addu

With two goals from the Fasir brothers, B. Eydhafushi defeated Addu City 2-0 in a thrilling final to win the inaugural Gold Cup football tournament last night at the Galolhu National Stadium.

Mohamed Fasir (Faattey), who was also named Player of the Tournament, opened the scoring for Eydhafushi late in the first half. His younger brother, Ali Fasir (Sentey), sealed the victory with a goal in the dying minutes. The final goal came during a counterattack, as Addu City committed all players forward in a desperate attempt to salvage the match.

The trophy for Eydhafushi was presented by President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, who attended the event as the chief guest. Approximately 5,000 fans were present, creating a euphoric atmosphere—a rare sight in local football these days.

The Gold Cup, organized by Ninety Plus, a private entity, is not part of the Maldives league system. The tournament was open to all islands and cities across the Maldives, aiming to revive fan engagement at a time when the nation’s football scene has hit an all-time low due to corruption within the Football Association of Maldives (FAM).

FAM, currently under a FIFA normalization committee, is planning to launch the local league early next February. However, as the league primarily features teams from the capital area, it has struggled to build a strong supporter base. Many believe fans will return to stadiums if the league expands to represent islands and atolls. The success of the Gold Cup has underscored this potential.

In last night’s match, which was expected to be evenly contested, Eydhafushi dominated from the outset. Addu City was reluctant to play a high defensive line or adopt an aggressive attacking strategy, wary of Eydhafushi’s pacey players. Furthermore, Addu struggled to maintain possession in the attacking third and was hampered by injuries to key players.

The injuries forced Addu's coach to field Ibrahim Mahudhee Hussein (Feydhoo Ibbe), who was nursing a muscle injury. However, Mahudhee was unable to make a significant impact as he was not fully fit. Eydhafushi’s first goal came in the 30th minute from a corner delivered by national team player Hamza Mohamed (Hampu). Faattey, who previously played in the first division, was left unmarked and headed the ball into the top corner.

In the second half, Addu pushed forward in search of an equalizer. Their veteran captain, Shamweel Qasim (Bonda), aged 42, moved into a more advanced position and came close to scoring. His shot was blocked, and Addu’s best chance came when Feydhoo Ibbe crossed to Ibrahim Waheed Hassan. However, he was unable to shoot from his position, passed the ball to Ismail Easa, whose effort lacked power.

In the final minutes, Eydhafushi adopted a defensive strategy to protect their lead. Addu City launched an all-out attack, but Eydhafushi capitalized on a counterattack. Sentey scored in the 90th minute, securing the 2-0 victory and the Gold Cup title.