Teams competing in the upcoming Gold Cup tournament will now have access to practice at three stadiums managed by the Football Association of Maldives (FAM), as well as the Henveiru Stadium in the Malé region, according to tournament organizer Ninety Plus.
This development comes after a disagreement between Ninety Plus and FAM over the association’s initial exclusion from the tournament planning. The issue has since been resolved, said Mohamed Shazly, Ninety Plus co-founder and an experienced football coach.
Shazly confirmed that participating teams will have access to FAM’s facilities, including the turf fields at Maafannu Stadium and Vilimalé Football Stadium. Additionally, they will be able to train at Henveiru Stadium, which operates under the Ministry of Sports. Usage of these facilities will be subject to time slots allocated by the ministry.
FAM Chairperson Ahmed Zuhoor emphasized the organization’s commitment to collaboration, stating that the stadiums would be made available to the Sports Ministry upon request, in line with resource-sharing agreements between the ministry and FAM.
With teams expected to begin arriving in Malé this week, preparations are in full swing for the Gold Cup tournament, which is set to kick off on Wednesday at the National Football Stadium. This resolution ensures that teams will have the facilities needed to prepare for the highly anticipated competition.
