The national futsal team headed to Thailand earlier this month with insufficient international experience, with the odds weighed against them.

Today, they lift the l trophy as unbeaten champions of South Asia. Not a point was dropped in six games, where we’ve seen 28 goals scored and just six conceded.

There is not a single player in the Maldives national squad who was academy-trained. They became who they are while competing in island and atoll level futsal tournaments.

Their rise to fame were in tournaments unaffiliated with the FA, like the Club Maldives Cup and the Golden Futsal Championship.

If we could dominate South Asia without having a proper stadium to practice in, imagine the heights Maldives could have reached by now if the team were used to playing in an indoor stadium. If only the authorities that govern the sport were as keen as the fans of it. It is as ironic as futsal being the only sport not recognized at the Maldives Sports Awards, even though it is by far the most popular sport among the Maldivian public.

The Maldives National Futsal Team are the local superheroes that they are for a reason: they built their identity and climbed their way to the top without reliance on a parent association.

Yes, futsal is an outgrowth of football, and is a relatively modern sport. But in terms of the sheer number of Maldivians who play and watch the game, futsal is on a league of its own. It might have been a different case a decade ago. But today, no other sport captures the public’s attention like futsal.

That is why we believed in these futsal stars, for them to rise to the occasion when the nation needed them the most.

 

Editor’s Note: We at Sidibari are proud to have gone all in on celebrating the players and the team. In terms of engagement numbers, this past two weeks have been the biggest in our history (Our post views peaked on Saturday with 3.3 million views in 24 hours).

Our dedication to futsal, or any other sport for that matter, is a reflection of the Maldivian public’s enthusiasm for it. The national team’s invincible campaign despite the circumstances, is something we can deeply relate to.

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