SAFF Championship 2013: Team Profile – Maldives

Current Team

Although Maldives will be eager to regain the SAFF Championship trophy, the big target for the current national team will be to win the AFC Challenge Cup next year on home soil and secure the final automatic berth at the 2015 Asian Cup. The FAM reappointed former Hungary international Istvan Urbanyi for a second stint in October 2011. Thus, unlike six other participating teams at SAFF 2013, Maldives have some stability as they have had the same coach for almost two years now. After the narrow misses in 2009 and 2011, Urbanyi will be determined to finally make Maldives the best in South Asia again.

Istvan Urbanyi

In truth, Urbanyi’s second stint has been far from ideal as besides losing in the 2011 SAFF Championship semis to India, they failed to make it past the group stage of the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup in Nepal. The third place finish in the 2012 Nehru Cup where they defeated higher-ranked Syria was encouraging and the team had a camp and played a couple of practice matches in Thailand. Although one of those games ended in a defeat to Thailand U-19, Urbanyi will at least be glad to get some match practice as they have only played two friendlies in this calendar year.

There is plenty of experience in the current senior national set-up as only three out of the 24 players who attended the camp in Thailand are below the age of 23. All the players ply their trade in Maldives, with 13 of those 24 being from newly-crowned league champions and AFC Cup quarter-finalists New Radiant. SAFF 2013 will be the ideal test for Urbanyi to find out where his team stands ahead of next year’s all-important AFC Challenge Cup.

Squad for Thailand camp

Goalkeepers: Imran Mohamed, Mohamed Imran, Ibrahim Ifrah Areef

Defenders: Mohamed Sifan, Rilwan Waheed, Ahmed Abdulla, Mohamed Rasheed, Ahmed Zaadh, Akram Abdul Ghani, Shafiu Ahmed

Midfielders: Ali Umar, Mohamed Umair, Moosa Yamin, Ahmed Rasheed, Ahmed Niyaz, Hussain Niyaz Mohamed, Ismail Easa, Mohamed Arif, Ahmed Imaz

Forwards: Ali Ashfaq, Ali Fasir, Asadhulla Abdulla, Ahmed Nashid, Hassan Adhuham

Key Players

Mohamed Shifan

A member of the 2008 SAFF Championship winning squad, the 30-year-old has been tipped by maldivesoccer.com to play an important role this time also. Shifan, who can operate both as a central defender and defensive midfielder, had a consistent domestic campaign for New Radiant and he will be looking to bring that good form at SAFF 2013.

Mohamed Arif

The 28-year-old playmaker, who can also operate upfront, from Maziya club is one of the most technically-gifted players in the Maldives national team. A veteran of three SAFF Championships including the successful 2008 tournament, Arif’s creativity and experience will be very important for the Red Snappers.

Ali Ashfaq

The New Radiant forward is a superstar of the sub-continent and will be playing in his fifth SAFF Championship this time. Ashfaq comes into the tournament on the back of some red hot club form as he scored 42 goals in all competitions last season including five in one game against Indonesia’s Persibo Bojonegoro in the AFC Cup.

SAFF 2013 Group: Afghanistan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bhutan

SAFF 2013 Fixtures

September 2: Sri Lanka; September 4: Bhutan; September 6: Afghanistan

SAFF 2013 Expectations

Maldives are undoubtedly one of the contenders for the title but only after holders India and the highest-ranked South Asian team Afghanistan. They would be expected to easily make the semi-finals, but face a real fight with Afghanistan for top slot in the group which could see them potentially avoid India in the last four. In terms of quality and international experience of current squads, Maldives is second to none and thus will fear no team at SAFF 2013 including India and Afghanistan. Although India have been their bogey team in this competition over the years, Maldives’s biggest threat this time could come from Afghanistan. A place in the semi-finals is the minimum expectation but with AFC Challenge Cup 2014 success in mind, anything less than glory in Nepal next month could raise question marks about Urbanyi’s future.