Coach Ali Suzain has said that the players selected for the national football team for the upcoming two matches will not only receive honor, but it is also a big national responsibility they are taking on. The national team’s first international match is a friendly against Singapore on June 5th. After that, the national team will play against Timor-Leste in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. That match will be held on June 10 in Australia. Speaking about these two matches on the special “Sports Pulse” program brought by “PSM News”, Suzain said the joy and honor the players receive from fulfilling that responsibility will be special.
Suzain said that with the announcement of the national team, criticism about player selection decreased as many people believe it was done well. However, some changes had to be made as some selected players were unable to join the team due to family reasons and injuries. “We are talking about some players who played in the League Cup, then some people question why players who didn’t play in the League Cup are included in the national team. That’s because those players have good reasons to be included in the national team,” Suzain said. In selecting players for the national team, the main focus was on giving opportunities to players who showed that level of performance in the recently concluded League Cup for the positions of players who last played for the national team.
“For example, Rizey not being able to play in the League Cup is not Rizey’s fault. Rizey has proven in every opportunity he got to play that he is a player who will always be in the national team,” Suzain said. Welcoming the new players joining the national team, Suzain said that according to the players, this is a dream they have always had, so their effort and hard work will be seen in the coming days. Suzain said he is satisfied with the national team’s preparations and that the team will depart with the best players available at this time. Suzain has said that the recent League Cup held by the Football Association of Maldives (FAM) will be of great benefit to the national team. Suzain highlighted this as a very important thing the government has done for football at this juncture.
“In reality, this was a very good opportunity for the players. Playing five matches will greatly benefit the national team. When talking about fitness and all these things, the most important thing everyone highlights is match fitness,” Suzain said. Suzain has said that due to FAM holding a short tournament, the players’ match fitness issues have been resolved and success has been achieved in that area. Since the match against Timor-Leste on the 10th of next month was initially scheduled, efforts were made to play in Thailand. However, that decision did not work out, and Timor-Leste finally decided to play in Australia. The match where Timor-Leste will face the Maldives is set to be held at the Territory Rugby League Stadium in Darwin, Australia.”
