Maldives captain Ali 'Dhagandey' Ashfaq would also miss out on upcoming BangaBandhu Gold Cup in Bangladesh after his club refused to release him for the tournament.
Ashfaq who plays in the Malaysian Super League for PDRM said he was unable to secure release to represent Maldives in the tournament.
Maldives is already missing two senior players, first choice goalkeeper Imran Mohamed and key midfielder Mohamed “Bakaa” Arif after they opted out of the tournament.
Imran, who had returned as goalkeeper for the recently ended SAFF Suzuki Cup after a six-month hiatus following a serious knee injury during a World Cup Qualifier against Hong Kong last year, said his decision was in the best interests of the new, younger players on the national team.
“I want our young talents to play and gain experience in this tournament. I made this choice after discussing with the coach. It was a tough decision,” said Imran.
The goalkeeper, who has been wearing the national colours since 1999 and was instrumental to the Maldives’ historic win of the SAFF Cup in 2008 and was a perfect shield against all attacks during the 2004 World Cup Qualifier against football giants South Korea, went on to admit that he has much room for improvement.
“I wish the team and players success. I’m ready to help out the team anytime should they need me.”
Meanwhile, Bakaa told Haveeru Tuesday that he had opted out of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup due to personal reasons.
“I decided not to play due to some personal reasons,” said the midfielder who players for Myanmar’s KBZ FC.
Bakaa, who had joined the national team in 2009, received a limited number of opportunities to show his quality during this SAFF Suzuki Cup. Coach Ricki Herbert had put him on the field during the group stage matches against Bhutan and Afghanistan only. He had been substituted by Ali Fasir during the games against Bangladesh and semi-final with India.
The Maldives is in Group B alongside Cambodia, Bangladesh and Bahrain in the Bangabandhu Gold Cup, which is held January 8 – 18.
Source: haveeru
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