Ibbe Vows to Correct Past Mistakes and Lift SAFF Trophy Again

Midfielder Ibrahim Wahid Hassan (Ibbe) has expressed strong confidence that the Maldives national team can win the SAFF Championship trophy once more. Ibbe, who was instrumental in Maldives’ 2018 SAFF Championship victory in Bangladesh and also won the Sheikh Kamal International Club Tournament with TC Sports Club in the same country, reflected on the team's preparations. “Looking at the national team's preparations for this tournament, we have come this far playing very competitive matches. We currently have a balanced squad including both young and experienced players,” he said. Acknowledging the strength of regional teams, Ibbe noted that many countries have naturalized players, but he expects surprising results from Maldives. Despite recent losses to China (3-0), Kyrgyzstan (5-0), and Lebanon (6-0), Ibbe described those encounters as valuable learning experiences. “Judging by the results of the matches played for preparation, it might look bad. However, looking at the atmosphere within the team, we see very positive results among us… We learned things from those matches, and the entire focus is on the SAFF Championship.” He also highlighted his winning record in Bangladesh, saying, “I got two international trophies in my career in this country. Both with TC and with the national team… I thought this is an opportunity to lift the SAFF trophy again in Bangladesh.” Maldives’ first group stage match against Pakistan is scheduled for today at 2:30 PM Maldives time.