For the past month, Adeel (Beybe) had fully immersed himself in preparations for the Maldives Super League, driven by his deep-rooted passion for volleyball and a desire to secure another championship trophy.
He felt a sense of immense joy after successfully leading the L. Maabaidhoo team to the title as their coach in this inaugural tournament launched by the Volleyball Association of Maldives (VAM).
However, this professional triumph was shadowed by a profound personal loss that left him feeling as though a part of his very being had been torn away. Within that same month-long period, Adeel lost both his younger brother and his father. His brother, Ibrahim Aadil (Kokko), a former volleyball player himself, passed away on the 21st of last month. Less than three weeks later, Adeel’s father, Moosa Manik, passed away this past Thursday.
Adeel noted that his father was the primary source of encouragement for both him and his brother in their volleyball careers. He recalled that during their playing days, their father would always attend their matches. Even after Adeel transitioned into coaching, his father continued to follow his progress by watching the matches on television.
"Even if my brother and I were considering playing for two different teams, both my father and mother would speak up. They would say they preferred it when the two brothers played for the same team. Because of that, we mostly played together on the same team. It was very rare for us to play against each other," said Adeel, who formerly played for Club Valencia.
He added, "Once I started coaching, my father would also check in and ask about the matches."
The fact that his father took such a keen interest in his work was a source of great satisfaction for Adeel and served as the motivation that kept him dedicated to the sport. Now, holding the honor of being the coach to win the first-ever Super League title, Adeel is dedicating this success to his father and brother.
He shared that upon winning the trophy, the memories of his father and brother’s passing immediately flooded back. "That is why I intended to dedicate this trophy to my father and brother," Adeel said.
Just as this trophy is a significant achievement for the people of Maabaidhoo and the players, it holds a deeply personal meaning for Adeel, marking a period where he achieved his greatest professional success while enduring the deep sorrow of losing his two closest family members one after the other.
