Maziya Sports and Recreation’s coach Luisma Hernández has stated that there are many reasons for the defeat. Speaking to journalists after losing 4-0 to Kuwait’s Al-Arabi in the preliminary round of the AFC Challenge League, Hernández said there were many reasons for Maziya’s defeat, including the team’s budget constraints and the players’ lack of experience. Highlighting the need to further improve Maziya’s performance based on the experience gained from that match, he said the team’s defense needs to be strengthened.
“It’s evident from just looking that there’s a difference in the budgets of the two teams, and also in terms of players – they have more experience from playing for a long time. We’ve seen their performance. Now, what we need to do is improve Maziya’s performance. Especially the defense needs to be strengthened. They are a very good team with high-quality players,” the coach said. The coach said that the players couldn’t focus as well as they should have in that match. He also mentioned that injuries to some of Maziya’s players were a factor in the match’s outcome.
The coach had previously stated that the delay in starting the Maldivian football season caused difficulties in preparing the team. Although Maziya began training in early July for the match against Al-Arabi, the coach also noted that some players joined the training sessions late.
