Male, Maldives (August 15) - Maldives National U20 Football Team head coach, Ahmed Shakir (Shaakitte), is pleased with his team's preparation, despite the current state of football in the Maldives.
The term of the Football Association of Maldives (FAM) Executive Committee expired in early July. FIFA has announced that a normalizing committee will be appointed to address the recent issues and errors within FAM.
Additionally, due to corruption and allegations of misuse of funds, FAM's most recent president, Bassam Adeel Jaleel, has been suspended from all football-related activities for nine months by FIFA.
During this challenging period, Shaakitte and the U20 team management have done an outstanding job conducting practices for a month and a half.
"Despite the current conditions in Maldivian football, we managed to hold team practices for one and a half months, so I am satisfied with the preparation," said Shaakitte, who has led Maldives' junior teams in recent SAFF tournaments.
"We're not just going there to compete; our goal is to reach the final."
SAFF U20 Championship, will take place in Kathmandu, Nepal from 18-28 August. Maldives set to play their first game against Bhutan on 21st and a day later they will face India.
Shaakitte mentioned that the weather conditions in Nepal are quite cold. He believes that arriving in Nepal four to five days before their first game will help the players adjust to the conditions.
The squad includes players who have previously competed in SAFF age-group tournaments and AFC qualifiers, as well as those with experience in the Maldives First Division. According to Shaakitte, the experienced players will assist the newcomers in adapting and performing effectively.
Following the SAFF U20 Championship, the U20 team will have more international fixtures: the AFC U20 qualifiers. Maldives is set to compete in the qualifying rounds scheduled for late September in Jakarta, Indonesia. They will be in Group F with Indonesia, Timor-Leste, and Yemen.
