Victory no longer a big club, must win trophy to reclaim status: coach Mohan

Victory coach Muhammad Shiyaz (Mohan) has said the club can no longer be called a big team, and that it must win a trophy to return to that group. Speaking about the point Victory earned by drawing with Maaziya last week, Mohan said the big teams had an advantage because they had played the Cup Winners Cup before the league started. When a journalist asked whether Victory should not be counted as a big team, Mohan said Victory will again be counted as a big team by winning a trophy. "We have been in a very low state for quite some time. That is why we are talking about the work required to get there. Unless we get there, we cannot be called a big team, you know," Mohan said. "The first thing is to get into the group of those teams [big teams]. Win a championship. Achieve success. Win a trophy. Otherwise, it is only a name. Victory is a big name. However, to reach the level of the big teams now, especially the teams that have recently achieved success, Victory must work very hard." Mohan said he would call a team a big team when it plays finals and wins a trophy. He said that, with the current level of the players, Victory has a team capable of competing against the big teams. "But however talented the players may be, they can only be called a big team after reaching that level, I believe," Mohan said. Victory last won a trophy in 2011. Since winning that year's President's Cup, the team has not received a trophy. The last season was the first year in five years that the club competed in the country's top division. Because players' salaries were not paid, the FMA suspended the club in 2019. As a result, the club was relegated to the second division. Being older than many clubs, it was once the most successful club in Maldivian sports. According to Mohan, Victory should now be called a former strong force. "It should be called a former strong force. Because, you see, whenever it achieved success, it always became a force. You see, it always changes and moves. Among the teams that achieve success in that era. To get among them, trophies must be won," Mohan said. In the Dhivehi Premier League, Victory will take the field this afternoon against Bis Bure Sports. The match will start at 4 p.m.