After arriving in the Maldives on a holiday, Pakistani-born British sports doctor Zafar Iqbal (Zaf) met Sports Minister Abdullah Rafiu (Raape) and gave a session to the players and officials of the national teams.

With more than twenty years of sports medicine experience, Dr. Zaf, who is currently the head of sports medicine at Arsenal, recently gave an exclusive interview to Adhadhu Sports about his visit to the Maldives.

Dr. Zaf, an expert in British football

He is currently in charge of Arsenal's sports medicine department, where he took over last year.

Previously, from 2015 to 2023, Dr. Zaf was head of sports medicine at Crystal Palace. Before that, he worked as Liverpool's head of sports medicine for five seasons. Zaf also spent three years as Tottenham Hotspur's team doctor.

He is a lecturer at Queen Mary University of London and has been member of the Premier League Football Medical Governance Group since 2021. He has also been the medical advisor to the Pakistan Cricket Board since 2021. Zaf served as chairman of the Premier League's doctors' group from February 2016 to February 2022.

Dr. Zaf during an Arsenal session.

Dr. Zaf is satisfied with his experience in the Maldives

In the interview with Adhadhu Sports, Dr. Zaf said the session with the athletes in the Maldives was very successful.

He also heard about the role and experiences of the players/athletes in the Maldivian community and talked about the assistance he could provide.

"Sports bring people together no matter what the background and wherever I travel around the world, I meet people I can connect with, either football or cricket, which are the main sports that I've worked with," he said.

"From the first day that we landed in Maldives we could see how passionate the locals in the different islands I visited, are about football and so it was enjoyable being able to share some of the practices in elite football, that hopefully many of them could use themselves in the area of nutrition, recovery and injury prevention."

Following the meeting with Dr. Zaf, Sports Minister Rafiu told the media that his assistance will be available in the Maldives' sports affairs. When asked about it, Dr. Zafar said they discussed the sports facilities and development efforts in the country.

Sports Minister Rafiu with Dr. Zaf. -- Photo: Sports Ministry

Dr. Zaf said he previously conducted online sessions for athletes on fitness during the COVID-19 pandemic and during the fasting month of Ramadan.

He noted that sports help people stay healthy, while correct information and training will help more Maldivians to develop at the international level.

Highlighting his busy schedule, Dr. Zaf said he will be able to discuss and advise on how to improve things in countries like the Maldives through the online session.

"I know there is very limited sports medicine experience and access in Maldives for athletes, with only Dr. Ahmed Shakeeb recognised that I know of who does a lot for athletes in Maldives but there needs to be more like him who are passionate and have experience in sports medicine to help local athletes and anyone participating in sports and physical activity in the Maldives," he stressed.

Talent is not enough; fitness is key

The biggest change in football that we see now is that athletes can’t shape a career by relying on talent alone. If they don't pay special attention to fitness, they won't have a good career.

Dr. Zaf said the most important thing now is to have talent as well as maintain fitness through good discipline, work on recovery and training in the right order.

"I have worked with some very talented footballers, but their discipline has been lacking, which at the elite level results in a decrease in performance and increased risk of injuries," he stated.

Suarez and Dr. Zaf.

"The best players I've worked with are not only skilful but extremely hardworking and disciplined and allowed them to have successful careers and competing at the highest level for longer."

High-level coaches who come to the Maldives usually note that it is difficult for Maldivian players to pursue a career as they are semi-professionals who have other jobs. Rather than agree with this entirely, Dr. Zaf mentioned the possibilities.

He said every athlete will have the opportunity to work hard. He added that players at the elite level progress by paying attention to what they can control.

"If you are not in the right physical condition, then you won’t be able to compete with other teams who may have not only better conditioned players but also more skilful players."

Dr. Zaf during the meeting with Minister Rafiu.

"So control the controllables, nutrition, recovery, preparing correctly for training, managing any injuries correctly and respecting your teammates and staff."

"There’s a saying, ‘Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard."