Sidibari
New Radiant Sports Club chairman Ahmed Mubeen has raised concerns over the fairness of the national football team selection process, after none of the club’s players were included in the squad, despite the team finishing third in the FAM League Cup.
In a post shared on social media, Mubeen questioned the logic behind selecting players from clubs that did not even participate in the League Cup, while New Radiant—who finished third overall, had no representation in the national team.
New Radiant had finished second behind Maziya in the round-robin stage of the League Cup before ending the tournament in third place; they were knocked out by Odi Sports in the semifinals.
According to Mubeen, the letter sent by the Football Association of Maldives (FAM) to clubs ahead of the competition stated that priority for national team selection would be given to players participating in the cup.
“If that is the standard set, why were our players overlooked?” Mubeen asked. “And why is no one talking about this? We are all trying to improve the sport. If we want to move forward, we must ensure the best players are given a chance to represent the nation.”
He also urged supporters of Maldivian football to speak up, stating that the silence surrounding such decisions only hurts the development of the game.
Mubeen, who was elected chairman of New Radiant in November last year, has overseen the club’s gradual revival. Once the dominant force in Maldivian football, New Radiant was suspended in January 2019 over unpaid salaries. Since then, the club has played in the second division and reached the semifinals in each of the past two seasons, but fell short of promotion.
Their League Cup campaign this season marked a significant comeback, making the absence of New Radiant players in the national team even more conspicuous.
