The government has said Liverpool FC, one of the most successful football clubs in the UK, has proposed to open a training academy in Maldives.
The Maldives government first announced this in a statement issued by the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) following the agreement with Liverpool to promote Maldives. However, Liverpool's statement did not mention the academy.
Speaking to Public Service Media (PSM) after returning from a visit to the UK with President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu to launch the promotional campaign, Sports Minister Abdulla Rafiu said government officials met with senior officials of the International Academy of Liverpool.
“It was about a one hour meeting, including the vice president of their academy, the senior development coach and the senior business manager,” he said.
Rafiu said they discussed the importance of training Liverpool coaches and players in Maldives.
"We wanted to see what their minimum requirement is. What kind of things, what kind of facilities will be needed for this and who are the interested coaches," the minister stated.
He hinted that an additional agreement would be signed for this project, but the MMPRC had earlier said that the academy would be built under the promotional deal signed with Liverpool FC.
Liverpool previously opened an academy in Mauritius. The academy, which is still in service, will close next month, according to some reports.
In addition to promoting Maldives, Liverpool will support Visit Maldives' efforts to protect the environment in Maldives.
The UK has been the third largest source market for Maldives this year.
