Maldives U-20 Reshuffle Squad Ahead Of Indonesia U-20

Ahmed Shakir, coach of the U-20 Maldives, admitted that he did not bring the best squad to the 2025 U-20 Asian Cup Qualification (doc. Special).

JAKARTA - The U-20 Maldives national team will face the U-20 Indonesian national team in the inaugural match of Group F of the 2025 U-20 Asian Cup Qualification.

On that agenda, Ahmed Shakir as the coach of the Maldives admitted that they could not present the best squad.

This was said by Ahmad Shakir during a press conference ahead of the match. Regarding the reason for not being able to bring the best squad, the coach said that many players were still in school and could not be brought to Jakarta.

"We started preparations from the beginning of July 2024. We also participated in several tournaments in preparation," said the coach about his team's preparation, quoted on Tuesday, September 24, 2024.

"However, some of my players are still students. So, they have to go to school and I was forced to replace some of my players. It was a tough challenge for me, but I am happy with the preparation of our team," said Ahmed again.

Before competing in the 2025 U-20 Asian Cup Qualification, the Maldives had indeed made enough preparations. They even appeared at the 2024 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup U-20.

At the event, the squad nicknamed the Red Snappers was only the caretaker of the group phase because they lost to Bhutan and India. Despite losing, the Maldives did not become a goal barn.

The defeat to India and Bhutan occurred through the opponent's last-minute goal. In addition, the Maldives can also create goals from direct free kicks.

Reflecting on this appearance, the U-20 Indonesian national team still had to put a high alert when they met the Maldives, even though the South Asian country had never entered the U-20 Asian Cup finals.