Ali Thameem
The brand new Ninety-Plus Gold Cup kicked off tonight at the Galolhu National Stadium, with hopes of reviving football across the atolls.
The first game of the Gold Cup featured Fuvahmulah City versus Kudahuvadhoo, the capital of Dhaalu. The game ended in 3-1, with Fuvahmulah taking the three points against a nine-man Kudahuvadhoo.
The game went goalless for the first thirty-seven minutes until Owusu Kofi scored the opener for Fuvahmulah. Kudahuvadhoo managed to equalize midway into the second half with a goal from Ahmed Muaadh.
Expectations of a comeback diminished after two of Kudahuvadhoo’s key players – Ahmed Rilwaan (Ben) and Mohamed Saaif – were sent off in the 76th minute. Both had been shown a yellow card in the first half. The referee showed red for Ben after his foul on the opposition goalkeeper. Saaif was sent off after shoving another player in the resulting brawl.
Fuvahmulah took the lead back with an 89th-minute goal from Ali Shamaal Abdhullah, and Moosa Azeem’s goal in the 90+8th minute sealed the victory. Azeem, who also plays for United Victory in the first division, was awarded ‘Man of the Match’.
Of the seventeen teams in the Gold Cup, the two from tonight’s game belong to Group A, the only group with five teams.
The second game of the Gold Cup starts tomorrow at 04:00 pm, and will see more action from the same group; G.Dh Faresmaathoda vs Dh. Meedhoo. The fifth team of the group is Ha. Dhihdhoo, who will debut on Monday.
Tomorrow’s 09:00 pm game will be played between Male’ City and Th. Thimarafushi.
Tonight’s game was the first to feature teams from the atolls since the 2019/2020 season when Sh. Foakaidhoo and F.Nilandhoo competed in the first division. The opportunity was closed for teams from outside Male’ after the discontinuation of the Minivan Championship.
Kudahuvadhoo were champions of the Minivan Championship in 2017 and played Dhivehi Premier League the same year.
With tonight’s defeat, Kudahuvadhoo has squandered the long-awaited opportunity to put an end to the burden of not winning a game at the Galolhu Stadium. The capital of Dhaalu had failed to win a single game in their time playing first-division football. Tonight’s loss makes it 16 consecutive games without a win at Galolhu Stadium for Kudahuvadhoo.
A countrywide tournament titled “Dhivehi Premier League Qualifying 2023/2024” started in 2022, but it had to be stopped because of the financial crisis within the Football Association. With the start of this new Gold Cup, many are hoping for a resurgence of the game.
