United Victory relegated after draw with Valencia

United Victory (UV) have been relegated from the Dhiraagu Dhivehi Premier League following a goalless draw against Valencia last evening.

The match, played at the National Football Stadium, ended 0–0, a result that confirmed United Victory’s relegation and left Valencia on the brink of relegating of the top division as well.

The bottom two teams in the 10-team league are automatically relegated to the second division, while the teams finishing seventh and eighth enter the relegation playoffs.

United Victory currently sit at the bottom of the table in tenth place, with Valencia in ninth, TC at seventh place and Green Streets are eighth.

With one match remaining, Valencia’s chances of avoiding automatic relegation are extremely slim. To escape the bottom two, Valencia must defeat Eagles by a large margin on Wednesday, while Green Streets must lose heavily to New Radiant without scoring. Valencia currently have a goal difference of 30 loss, compared to Green Streets’ 24 loss.

United Victory, founded in 1972 as a recruitment side for Victory Sports Club, are the oldest active football club in the Maldives after Victory. Although originally established as Victory’s B team, UV have operated independently for many years.

Despite their long history, UV have spent the last decade in the top division. The club earned promotion to the first division after winning the 2015 second division championship under current head coach Mohamed Nazeeh, entering the first division in 2016.