Maldives has been placed in Group A of the 9th edition of U17 SAFF Championship alongside India and Bangladesh.
Maldives has been placed in Group A of the 9th edition of U17 SAFF Championship alongside India and Bangladesh.
Teams in Group B of the competition hosted by Bhutan from September 20 through September 30 includes Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Maldives is first scheduled to battle Bangladesh on September 22 while their match with the fifth-time reigning champion, India is slated for September 24.
The two groups with highest scores are set to advance to the semifinals.
Maldives National Team, led by Coach Mohamed Adam, commenced practice for the tournament nearly a month ago. Mohamed is a seasoned footballer who previously coached local football clubs, Victory and United Victory and was also formerly engaged in the Sri Lankan football scene.
Maldives' national team also features talented athletes. Mohamed Ilan Imran who signed into Maziya S&RC yesterday after performing for Valencia last season, alongside Ayan Amir, another footballer from Valencia are on the team.
Moreover, Ethan Ibrahim Zaki - who has been performing as an academy level footballer in Spain will also join the team, reports Mihaaru News.
Following the derailment of FAM's management, activities of the First Division has also been halted indefinitely. However, academies have continued to operate without a halt - where players from the current U14 team were mostly hand picked. The team has since grown over the years to now claim the title of most talented youth team in the nation.
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