Will it be a painful night for Spain?

On the big stage: He will show his strength tonight

It was like a flesh in the pan. 22 day of Euro 2012 football went like a blur. While it would not have exploded into life as some of the classic tournaments the icing on the cake may well be tomorrow when Spain entertain Italy in the final.

 Though this is the second time they meet after the group stage it promises to be something of an exciting spectacle given the late burst into form of few individuals and one in particular.

He is unpredictable, yes, but when Mario Balotelli is in fine fettle you never know. Exactly what the German wished they should had known and dealt with. His brace against them speaks volumes of his versatility upfront and his panache to treat us to the occasion with spectacular goals.

                                                                                            

Spain would be wary of him too. They are in a spot of bother of their own, not having a centre-forward, one of their biggest worry. While Torres is struggling with his wretch form their main marksman is recovering from a broken foot. To top that their brand of 'tiki-taka' style of possession football is becoming a bore to the eye – unexciting, unappealing – not exactly racing your pulse.

                                                                                                    

They may be the best team in term of their clockwork precision in passing and ball control, but that is not to say they have elevated the beautiful game to different celestial. It hasn’t captured our imagination, there are no spectacular goals that you are trained to see in Spanish league. The team may compose of Barcelona and real Madrid players, but they are lacking a Messi-Ronaldo kind of player who could produce that magic. Even then, who knows, Spain’s tryst with destiny to write a brand-new record may culminate in the electrifying final we all have been looking for.  

Coming to this tournament on the back of match-fixing scandal which has hit them like an unrelenting stench, Italy needs to dispel few doubts about their staunch support for clean football and their place in Europe football. Mario is in the mood to do exactly that and Italy is behind him to thrash once-for-all his bad boy image.

For many Maldivians who have thoroughly enjoyed this tournament we are grateful to TVM for taking initiative to telecast this live event with a dazzling smorgasbord of local football expert opinions and views. Perhaps we may not be able to bear any kind of football lower in standard for quite some time but then in ten days’ time, on 10^th July, Dhivehi league resumes, which was on hold for transfer window.

It never stops, football is always played somewhere. So do we have time for this local league?

Are some promises made to be broken?

It was back to back morale-sapping defeats by teams who are clearly underdogs to Valencia that galvanized coach Iqbal  to launch into a fans’ anger-quelling mission by saying during transfer window they would strengthen their squad. 

In about 12 days’ time we say bye-bye to the transfer deadline and resume Dhivehi league. Whatever Iqbal has said is yet to take wings. Of course a long way to go before the final day of transfer, but one cannot help but wonder why on earth they must make a bold statement and keep a low profile. They really gave the impression they were diving into transfer-pool the next day. 

Perhaps it was a gimmick, a ploy by coach to pacify angry supporters who had to bear with the distressing scene of their team threshed by all and sundry. 

No surprise if they don't open their purse for shopping given how most of our clubs survive on shoestring budget for the whole season.But the fear is what if..what if they don't get a forward, a lethal one at that, to find them goals and plenty of it. Because they need it, badly. Their position in the table is precarious.

If they start to falter in the coming matches it may not be long before the stark reality of relegation stare right into the face and dump you into a division that is not worthy of your illustrious name.

One stadium, one city syndrome

People used to say had Alexcander Graham Bell did not come along in time we would be still living in Stone Age. Or if Benjamin Franklin did not discover electricity we would be still living in darkness. Looking at the nature of our current quagmire in football you may wonder: Seriously? Since no one came along of such calibre our football is living the current lifeless existence? Hence there is no end in sight for the pitless puzzle of one city one stadium syndrome?

Let’s get this straight. We have been playing football for the last many years in one stadium in one city. Everything revolves around it – if Galholhu stadium is closed it means currently there is no national football tournament going on. If your club is based in another island you have to come to capital city when a tournament starts.

That is of course a little something that has besieged our football as long as it is played. Necessity may be the mother of invention, but to come with a blueprint for a way out of this problem of ‘one city one stadium’ is out of our imagination. There is no way we can have 10 or 20 teams representing as many atolls. We are simply incapable of surmounting such a huge obstacle. 

The problem is because we are an island nation. An archipelago of some 1190 islands scattered over a vast stretches of Indian ocean, islands far-flung from their nearest neighbour, living a secluded life. We cannot model our football like other countries on home-and-away basis, it is unthinkable.  On economic front alone the enormous task involved with the  transport of teams and supporters from one island to another on match-day, let alone unfriendly weather which is mostly unpredictable throughout the year, is simply beyond our means.

So we trudges on.  Stuck in the primitive format where capital Male’ plays hosts to all football competitions and clubs based in Male’ take part in it.  There is precious little clubs from island can do if they don't make it to zone competiton, which is only for 2 clubs from 19 or so Atolls. Those who scrape through barely survive for too long for lack of quality players and funds.  In the late 90s Huriyya from island Hura did survive against all odds for some time before it gave it to the pressure of cumulative effects of lack of telents and insufficient funds .

If there ever was a problem for which our entrainment planners don’t have a viable solution ‘one city one stadium’ continues to throw new precedents for thinkers from local and abroad alike. 

When the transfer period is longer than football season…

Not exactly. But it seems. When Valencia entertained AYL on 12^th June it was the last match of the second round before transfer season kicked in. Already 10 days gone and 20 more to go before New Radiant take on Eagles on 10^th July. That is how long it takes for the supposedly quiet transfer period to end.

A big, fat 30 days is too long whichever way you look at it. In footballing terms that is a lot of days. The short-term memory of our football fans will be hard-pressed to remember what had gone before the break and who are leading the table.

Perhaps inevitable circumstances are what led to FAM to come with an unreasonably too long a ‘holiday’ period. For one, Maldives U-22 football team is in Malaysia to take part in AFC U-22 Championship qualifiers. They kick off tomorrow against Qatar U-22. On top of that a huge football tournament such as Euro 2012 is something we drink and live through. So  when the sun is shining who wants light from moon anyway?

Past experiences had shown the precarious scenario we would have met had we continued with Dhivehi league during the Euro fiesta. It is a disease that catches us unaware every four years when Euro or FIFA world cup is in full-swing. 

Though nobody knows exactly the name of the disease the symptoms are clear: we wake up late, go office late, go school late, in a way we are late for everything. If a competition is going on in Galholhu football stadium obviously the place wears a deserted look. While Euro is on we don't like to do any other thing, other than sleeping and watching football. 

It is wise move by FAM, though it comes in the garb of transfer period and taking a little longer than many would have wanted!

 

A goal that speaks for itself

A goal of sheer power and precision. A thunderbolt of improbable accuracy and class. That is how many of the Maldivian supporters in the stadium would describe this goal of SAFF championship 2011.

When Maldives skipper got the ball from the middle of the half he had a lot to do and a lot of ground to cover. But one vital touch and a giant stride later his overpowering burst of pace took Nepal players out of sight. Out of touch. Or pheraps they were too languid to close in.

Those players who were left in his wake had nothing but to fill their lungs with all the oxygen that was available and jump on to their motor before their eyes on the receding dot that is Ashfag fades into oblivion. Before he causes heartache. But in vain.

He sped into danger zone in a flesh. Just five or so yards away from penalty area he unleashed a ferocious, venomous drive that sped through the chilling evening of Nehru Stadium of New Delhi like a bolt from the blue.

Maldivian supporters, they almost knew it. They were there on their feet and soon they were celebrating. The ball whooshed into the right-top corner of Nepal goal. Ashfaq had scored what looks like to be one of the best goals of his career. 

Though disappointment came in the form of a Nepal goal which drew the match, Dhagnday’s brilliance was unmistakable and the deserving plaudits that subsequently followed.  

Boom and bang: Ashfaq on the 2:35^th minute on this video

Will it ever get easier for Maldives coach Urbanyi

Time to worry: do we have any chance in this tournament

It looks like we have mustered the art of doing it always too little too late. Under national team coach Istvan Urbanyi that seems to be the case so far.

We lost by a whisker in the qualification of AFC Challenge Cup in 2009. A difference of single goal was all it took for compatriot Bangladesh to shut the door for us. In SAFF 2011 the team was doing fine till we meet mighty India in the semi-finals. Within minutes 15 minutes Maldives top marksman Ashfaq was hobbling and the reminder of the match was the depressing sight of 10-men Maldives trying to find the Indian goal with every conceivable shot on target, which was not to be. Was it a case of bad luck?

The latest hurtful endeavor was AFC Challenge Cup 2012 which was already forgone conclusion because two of our three opponents were better than us in every aspect. As was predicted we lost against Turkmenistan and Palestine though a win against hosts Nepal was too little too late.

Maldives coach and his U-22 national team embark on another journey of bitter sweet fight in the qualification games of AFC U-22 Championship 2013. Maldives is drawn in a tough Group C, with Iran, Bahrain, Tajikistan, Kuwait and Qatar to overcome. Coach has already pierced, the air of expectation we have, by the arrow of reality. “Based on the preparations we had so far, it’s a bit early to talk about the chances”. So the message is clear.

The realistic chance of Maldives making any inroad into the qualification is almost non-existent. This is not more than a routine participation in a competition we have no realistic chance and if the guys learned anything well and good.

So this it, we will be eternal pushovers in the continental competitions and always playing second fiddle to those around us. Is it?

Valencia living dangerously

It is that period of the season and everybody is saying exactly the same thing. Come the mid-season break, or transfer period, or Euro fun break - which ever name you like to call - that it will be more than a welcome break to strengthen their squad.

More vociferous has been Valencia after two consecutive morale-sapping defeat to underdogs Vyansa and AYL respectively. Though this is something Valencia of late has been producing throughout the last few seasons the manner of defeats have left coach Iqbal under a huge pressure. 

No wonder, for Valencia with a glorious history in terms of how they ruled the roost in national championship in the late 90s and early 2000s, this is like ego-shattering slap on the face, not less than misery of highest order. Iqbal will be forced to do some math if they continue in this fashion for the reminder of the season. Because it may well be the start of a free fall. The imminent fear of relegation threat is already looming. He would not want to tarnish the CV of  his stint as a coach in first division before it had really started.

So he is already talking about strengthening the squad during the break. Whether he will get the kind of players he wants or the African players flocking the Maldivian shore will be good enough only time will tell. Being a keeper he know a good keeper and defense will not be enough when there is no good striker to compliment the outcome.

Can former national team goal-keeping coach be a successful coach as well? We will wait and see….

Is Dhivehi football living on borrowed time?

Deserted: of course now but on match days too

This is not something any of us would have predicted in our dreams but the harsh reality is we are living that moment for quite some time now. 

Football has been played to virtually empty stadium for the last five years and there is real fear football is losing it appeal and soon Galolhu stadium will pull down its shutter.

It hit a nadir last year when VB Addu FC with the expensively brought players dominated on all fronts while remaining teams were playing catch up.  Even the biggest of rivals, Victory and New Radiant could attract less than three thousand when in the 80s and 90s it was always more than seven or eight thousands. 

On match day now Galholhu stadium wears a deserted look. You see less then thousand supporters scattered here and there. Barely hear a sound from inside. It seems a funeral procession is underway. From outside it resemble a haunted castle, an edifice that has been orphaned and left to decay. 

Did we ever foresee this? That football, once such obsessively followed sport, now close ‘on the verge of extinction?’ That it makes no impression on usual football-lovers? Where did it all go wrong? 

Was this part and parcel of modernization and social change Maldives have undergone through that we have no time for diversion of this sort? Or did something more dramatic happen that we are unaware of? Or was it due to the political instability that the country had to experience for too long that is having the negative impact on it?

Whatever it is, something inherently wrong is going on noticed or otherwise,  apart from the usual suspects like 1) clubs taking part in the league are not competitive enough, 2) one or two teams having full bulk of national team players, or 3) when famous clubs like Victory or New Radiant are not performing well etc.

Though New Radiant has finally done something to arrest the damage Galholhu stadium doesn’t not look its old self. Their opening up of purse string and bringing in some good players may have helped them to fill in with more of their supporter but the real buzz of excitement is strangely missing. May be it will take time. Or may be you can never give Dhivehi football a clean bill of health, not again with our ‘Siyaasee’ gene in hyperactive mode.

Maziya need to find their feet before it is too late

If only a football match is over as soon as one team scores Maziya would have been the winner. But that is not how it goes in football and it is all about what happen in those 90 minutes. If you score you need to defend it adroitly and if you concede you must score twice to be on the winning side.  Maziya had nothing going for them and they should blame themselves for the mistakes they should have avoided yesterday against a team of New Radiant’s calibre. 

New Radiant always had advantage over Maziya in terms of the couple of individually brilliant players they had. They were in the mood to do maximum damage and atone for their lethargic performance in the last two games. Whether Ashfaq or Tom, whenever they get the ball they run at Maziya defenders as if they are late for something, leaving them in urgent need of more oxygen.

In contrast Maziya left their management wondering if a more ruthless and refined finisher would have done the job for them. Too many glorious chances went begging, their strikers failing to make the vital connection.  

May be this is the moment Maziya have to seriously consider to test those three foreigners who have joined them on trial. If any of them can turn those numerous opportunities to goal they can surely jump few places up the table easily.

Umair finding his true calling

Goodness me: I should have listened to my inner voice...who told me I would be better at being a defender

Does he know where his best position is? Right now Victory management and fans don’t need to know as he is delivering when his team needs him. What more he is the top-scorer in the league. That is Umair for you. Originally a defender, he is currently the most dangerous striker in the country.  If you see the kind of goals he has scored you could well say he has all the attributes to be a great striker.  9 goals in 8 matches is no mean effort by any standard. 

Blessed with lethal right foot, his accuracy in shooting and dead-ball situation is second to none. Why on earth he has been playing for a defender all these years? Who had been giving him false advice? 

So how did he land up there in such an advance position in the first place? Well, he is not really playing as a forward but an attacking midfielder when not a left winger. Blossoming under the watchful of eyes of young coach Nazeeh ( head coach’s young brother), some people may be quick to point it as freakish accident rather than a more remarkable revelation of a player’s real position on the pitch. The truth of matter is a forward is as good as when he is delivering. If not he is worse than deadwood. 

Right now he is not deadwood. He is better than more celebrated strikers like Oppo or Ashfaq. If he continues in this fashion he will be first defender in Maldives who won golden boot for best forward in the country. In volley ball metaphor it is akin to a setter becoming the best spiker.

Don’t blame Vanli

Clueless: where has it gone wrong

The man from Turkey has been the most successful coach in the last three seasons. Under his stewardship VB Addu FC has won three leagues titles back to back. But today his team is fighting for a place in the top half of the table and his job as a VB coach is at stake. 

That is how quickly fortunes in football changes. One day you may be at the top, like the invincible creature teasingly looking down at your rivals who had breathlessly waged a war to topple you from the high and mighty pedestal, but next day losing not the grip on the title but also the very power to cling on to the division. Let alone your reputation as an inspirational coach.

Right now for Vanli each defeat taste like a fresh injury to a healing wound. He is running out of words to say and fans are running out of patience. Finger of blame is closing on from all direction. Media is grilling him with a volley of uneasy questions.

His team is in the fifth place having won only twice in eight matches. However after the win against AYL, Vanli says they are on right track. But for how long?  6-1 win against AYL may hide more than it reveal, masks the real problem.  We will have to see…

The real problem many people agree is they don’t have the three key players they had last season. And they are not properly replaced. The best player they have, Adey, is out of form. It can be attributed to VB Addu FC’s dismal performance so far. 

AYL : a living example of never-say-die attitude

It is surprising how AYL has lasted this long despite being bottom – dwellers for the last three seasons. They may not have big-name players, huge wad of cash to spend on but one thing they don’t lack is the will to persevere in this division, the never-fading spirit to come through any adversity. No amount of defeat can dampen the moral well-being of this enthusiastic group of players. They are there to renew their effort for the next endeavor. 

They are not playing for money; it is for the love of the game. They don’t have that many supporters but they deserve special note of gratitude from all of us for the way they have come this far, this long. Coach has never been in trouble for lack of players. There are always enough in the squad to choose from. 

They may be at the bottom of the table at the moment as usual, but we all hope , sooner rather than later, All Youth Linkage (AYL) will have some monetary link to strengthen their squad and one day make an impression in the league and create a niche for themselves. Keep it up guys!!  

Time for New Radiant to dispel supporters’ disappointment

 

New Radiant is not presently playing the kind of football that were expected of them. In the last two matches against Maziya and Victory respectively, they managed a single goal. More than a clear-cut goal it was fluke, though Ali Umar will take all the credit for the way it dipped over Maziya keeper and into the net. Ashfaq has not particularly enjoyed in the last two outings, in fact he is poor and wasteful, his counterpart Tom not having done any kind of justice either.

With Oppo in the midst they have national team strike force but he is playing hide-and-seek, going in and out of the team - if not for a double-yellow suspension or then for an injury. Perhaps Father Time is taking a toll on the weary joints and limbs.

For lack of genuine attacking midfielder now that Oppo is also missing, in most of the games, strikers are starved of services. Tactical discipline is also more relaxed as too much of individual play has cost them goal-scoring opportunities.

Today they meet Maziya in the second round and some weary supporters are already in accusing mood, for the players for lack whole-hearted display and passion, for Mohan’s ineffective tactics. If Maziya sneaks through, big-spending club from Henvairu will have one or two to say about coach’s effectiveness in the dugout!!

Blues help for Dhivehi football

It is a fact that the health of Dhivehi football depend on the wealth of New Radiant Sports Club, the team with the biggest fanbase.  If they are in the driving seat, threatening to get away with league title there is always enough buzz in the stadium. People flock in numbers and the atmosphere is nothing sort of electrifying. If you are looking for proof then look at the stand at the southside of stadium. 

You may have still huge chunks of empty stands but it is a lot better than last year when VB sports( VB Addu fc) was calling shots. It had been a terrible season. VB had all the tops players and the rest were a big mismatch, all the time playing a catch-up. By first round VB could have been crowned the champions. 

Now that Eagles and Vyansa have thrown their hats into the ring with big money, bringing some of the best players available, all the teams are on a level-playing field. It is competitive; the rivalry is getting to heady mix of intoxication.  There is a positive sense of expectation that things are looking bright for Dhivehi football, at least for now. 

Sadly champions VB Addu fc is stuck at the bottom of the table after the departure of some of the big players. What they did only news-worthy was to rebrand the club to VB Addu fc. Other than that they did nothing to get the support from fans, more prominently form the newly-acquired ones.