Buru captain Hamdhaan earns first national call-up as Maldives depart for Indonesia camp

The Maldives national football team departed for Indonesia this morning for a training camp ahead of the SAFF Championship, with Buru Sports Club captain Ali Hamdhaan named in the national squad for the first time. The 23-member squad will begin camping in Indonesia from tomorrow until November 2, during which the team is scheduled to play two competitive warm-up matches. After the camp, the side will return to the Maldives before travelling to Bangladesh for the tournament. The SAFF Championship, which will be held in Bangladesh this year, begins on November 5 and concludes on November 17. The Maldives have been drawn in a group with India and Pakistan, while Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan make up the other group. India, winners of the last two SAFF Championships, are the defending champions. Hamdhaan, who has previously represented Maldives youth national teams, has impressed with his leadership for Buru in the league so far this season. The squad that left today does not include Mohamed Ilan Imran and Haisham Hassan (Bidi), as both players have yet to recover from injury. However, their fitness will be assessed before the team departs for the SAFF Championship, and they still have a chance to be included.