Don’t want to talk about 1.5 years of no football: Nisthaar

Green Streets coach Ali Nisthaar Mohamed says he does not want to dwell on the 18 months without top division football in Maldives, stressing instead that focus should be on the future.

Before this month’s restart of the Dhivehi Premier League, Green Streets last played a league match on August 28, 2023, against TC Eagles.

The season was suspended for nearly 80 days, and Green Streets later opted not to play the rest of the league.

Football Association of Maldives (FAM) decided against relegating any team that season, which ensured Green Streets remained in the first division despite serving a FIFA transfer ban.

Speaking at a pre match press conference, Nisthaar acknowledged the disruption but said he saw little benefit in revisiting the issue.

“I believe that holding on to that topic would be a disadvantage for us, Green Streets. This break is not something anyone wanted,” said Nisthaar, who is now in his seventh year at the club.

“More than that, I want to show that the future will be better. There is hope. So that’s probably what we should focus on.”

While other coaches have pointed to a lack of preparation across clubs despite the almost two year break, Nisthaar refused to use it as an excuse.

“I don’t want to talk about not having time for preparation. I don’t think all the teams knew this problem was coming. That doesn’t matter.”

Green Streets are yet to score a point this season, and Nisthaar admitted the pressure is on.

“Our target is to improve the team’s performance and reach the top six at the end of the league,” he said.

Although critics describe Green’s squad as ordinary, Nisthaar rejected that view.

“I will show the answer to that question before the end of the league,” he added.

Green Streets face Eagles next on Wednesday night.