Colombo, Maldives: Maldives National Football Team head coach Mohamed Shiyaz (Mohan) addressed the media in Malé ahead of the team’s departure to Colombo, where they will face Sri Lanka on September 6 and 9 in the South Asian Super Cup.

National Football teams assistant coach from 1995-2008 Mohan, who got the head coach role acknowledged the significant changes in Sri Lankan football over recent years, emphasizing that the upcoming clashes will be far from easy.

“It has been a very long time since we last played Sri Lanka. Their football has changed a lot in recent years, especially with the inclusion of players playing abroad. Most of their current squad is new to us, and we haven’t faced this team in the last three to four years. It will be a big challenge, and we respect them a lot,” Mohan said.

He credited Sri Lanka’s coach, Amir Al-Mutairi, for transforming their style of play and mentality.

“The coach has changed Sri Lankan football from the way they’ve been playing for decades. He did the same in Nepal, and I have huge respect for what he achieved there. Sri Lanka now plays a strong passing game, and they have developed a new mentality that makes them a tough opponent,” he added.

Mohan also spoke candidly about the Maldives’ own struggles in recent years.

“Our football has not been good. For the past two years, there hasn’t been a proper league, and everything has been down. We only had four or five days to prepare as teams recently began pre-season. But this is the time we must come out of the situation. Insha Allah, we will fight for the trophy.”

The coach praised Sri Lankan captain and goalkeeper Sujan Perera, who previously played under him at Club Eagles.

“Sujan was with me for three years at Eagles, and he’s the best goalkeeper in this region. When he played in Maldives, he was named the best goalkeeper two years in a row. That says a lot about his quality,” Mohan said.

Acknowledging recent poor results for the Maldives, Mohan stressed the need to shift the team’s mentality and concentration to remain competitive for the full 90 minutes.

The two fixtures against Sri Lanka are expected to be a stern test for Maldives, but Mohan remains confident that his squad has the resilience to rise to the occasion.