Since we finished third in the Asian Challenge Cup, support for the national team has been declining. Why won't we? Tomorrow we face one of the weakest teams in the World Cup qualifying campaign in all groups, one of weakest in FIFA Ranking even, yet Segrt is calling it a difficuilt game. Guam coach is more assuring to Guam's fans saying that it's very possible to beat Maldives.

Petar Segrt and his two foreign assistants would cost around MRf 300,000 per month. This is how much an average team from the Dhivehi Premier League spends on their players and staff. Average wage for a Maldivian coach is around MRf 30,000. For this, we expect changes. We expect to see Maldives be better. I am tired of hearing about the talent we have. Without national team performing, the regime of Bassam Adheel Jaleel will ultimately be called a failure. Bassam has spent on this national team like never before, sending them on camps to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Sri Lanka and the recent one month camp in Malaysia. For Segrt, the Dhivehi Premier League has had more than three pre-seasons according to coach Ali Suzain. 

If we leave the national team and the top flight football of Maldives aside, Bassam is the most successful president Maldives ever had. He has managed to take Maldivian coaches to new heights training sending Mohan(Mohamed Shiyaz) to do Pro-License course, creating Maldivian coach instructors and numerous coaching courses throughout the country including an A-Licence course for the first time in more than ten years. This period has seen Maldivian Academy's win honor's abroad. The creation of Youth Leagues no doubt contribute to it. The tip of the ice berg is the Under-19 National team taking Bronze Medal in the SAFF Championship. With a Football School being built in Hulhumale and Academys being inaugurated in the Atolls, the youth football looks very good. However everything in football comes to the senior team, the senior national team. Even though we won the SAFF Suzuki Cup, the World Cup qualifying results are nothing short of abysmal. 

The decline in National Team attendances started during the tenure of Ricki Herbert. Once a great coach, Herbert led New Zealand to the World Cup. In Maldives, he wasn't very successful and Herbert returned to New Zealand now leading a New Zealand Premier League side. 

Today we are in need of a miracle, because the leadership at the Football Association do not see the lies that Segrt continue to tell. And tomorrow he is scheduled to start work with the Maldives Under-23 team that will participate in the SAFF Games. Is he worth it? Is this liar the kind of leader that our juniors be working with? I really hope for the sake of the Football Association leadership that changes will be made. Guam is not a strong team, a win must not make Segrt safe from the sack. 

How many bad performances are enough? How many lies? How many excuses? Against Philippines we could not fill three thousand seats. This after tremendous effort from the government. Did we not see President Nasheed, march with the crowds drumming his way to the stadium, did we not see Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih cheer for the nation? After this effort from Tourism Minister Ali Waheed and Bassam, I do not believe Guam game will draw the crown that Philippines game drew. Because the nation has lost trust in one man. 

That one man is not Bassam, nor is it Dhagandey(Ali Ashfaq) and certainly not Ali Waheed. That one man is Petar Segrt. I hope for the sake of the future generations, for the sake of the Maldives Under-23 team, that this is it for Segrt. After destroying our very own Dhivehi Premier League for the sake of the national team, we expect better. 

Because frankly, it is him or it is us, the supporters!

Angry Fan

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