Maldives to Camp in Indonesia Ahead of SAFF Championship

The Maldives national football team will hold a training camp in Indonesia as part of their preparations for the SAFF Championship, which is scheduled to take place in Bangladesh next month. The Football Association of Maldives (FAM) confirmed to One Sports that the national team will camp in Indonesia from 27 October to 2 November. After the camp, the team is expected to return to the Maldives before travelling to Bangladesh for the tournament. The SAFF Championship will begin on 5 November and conclude on 17 November. The Maldives have been drawn in a group with India and Pakistan, while Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan make up the other group. India are the defending champions, having won the last two editions of the tournament, including the 2023 final in Bengaluru where they beat Kuwait on penalties. That edition also featured Lebanon and Kuwait as guest teams. The Maldives are preparing under head coach Istavaan Urbaani, whose best result with the senior side so far was a win over Timor-Leste in Male last March. Urbaani has also coached the Maldives U-20 team, which has lost six of their ten matches under his charge. The Maldives last won the SAFF Championship in 2018, also in Bangladesh, and previously lifted the title in 2008.