National football team forward Ali Ashfaq (Dhagandey) has said the biggest contributor to his efforts on the pitch are the supporters who stand behind him.

The national team, along with Ashfaq as the most experienced player on the team, is currently preparing for the 2026 Diamond Jubilee International Football Tournament which will be held in Male' on Monday.

Ashfaq played a significant role in Maldives' win against Timor-Leste in the Asian Cup qualifiers match that was held on 31st March. Ashfaq, who is currently 40 years old, came on as a substitute in the final 10 minutes of the match.

After the match, national team coach István Urbányi stated that with Ashfaq being substituted onto the pitch, the rest of the team got a boost to their morale as well.

In response to Ashfaq being asked where his motivation comes from while being interviewed by PSM, he said that he is motivated because of the supporters that stand behind him.

"I think I get even more motivated by the supporters and their cheers when I go onto the pitch to play," said Ashfaq, who has scored 58 goals for the national team.

"I believe this is why they say that the supporters are the 12th player for the team. I hope the stadium will be packed for the upcoming tournament as well."

Coach István Urbányi has said that the average age of the squad that has been put together for the tournament is 25 years old. Ashfaq also said that the squad mostly has a younger set of players this time around.

"So I do hope that we will get good results," said Ashfaq.

This tournament is meant to celebrate 75 years (Diamond Jubilee) of Maldivian football and is being arranged by the Football Association of Maldives (FAM). Four teams will be competing in the tournament, which are Maldives, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Bangladesh will be sending their national U-23 team. Maldives will be facing Afghanistan in their first match in the upcoming Diamond Jubilee International Football Tournament which will begin next Monday at the Galolhu Stadium.

Ashfaq said that if Maldives focuses on their game instead of the team, he has hope that they will be successful. According to him, playing on their home turf is a significant advantage.

"Firstly, let us not think too much about our opponent and more on playing our game. I believe if we play that game, all will be well," said Ashfaq.

The national team are holding their practice sessions at the Henveiru Stadium. They have also attended training camps outside of Maldives before competing in tournaments.

"When looking at the time we have left, we have experienced slight difficulties such as the pitch we are practicing on, not being able to go for a training camp, etc," said Ashfaq.

However, he said that even with such obstacles, the team's preparations for the tournament are going well overall.

"Overall, it is going well," said Ashfaq.