2020–21 Dhivehi Premier League
| Season | 2020–21 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 13 December 2020 – 2 May 2021 |
| Champions | Maziya |
| Relegated | no relegation |
| AFC Cup | Maziya Valencia |
| Matches played | 56 |
| Goals scored | 140 (2.5 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Cornelius Stewart (11 goals) |
← 2019–20 2022 → | |
The 2020–21 Dhivehi Premier League is the sixth season of the Premier League, the top Maldivian professional league for association football clubs since its establishment in 2015. Maziya are the defending champions, having won their third league title the previous season, their second in the Premier League era, having last won in 2016. The season was initially scheduled to start in June,[1] but this was delayed until December as a consequence of the delay of the 2020 AFC Cup and 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in Asia and in the Maldives.[2]
Teams
Initially, ten teams were set to compete in the league – the top eight teams from the previous season and the two teams promoted from the Second Division. The promoted teams are Club Valencia and Super United Sports.[3] On 22 July 2020, Football Association of Maldives announced that this season will be held with eight teams. This is due to temporarily holding off the Premier League slots for the teams promoting from the Jazeera Championship as the 2020 edition was called off due to COVID-19 pandemic in the Maldives, meaning Foakaidhoo FC and Nilandhoo Sports Club are forced to play in the 2021 Jazeera Championship even though they survived relegation.[4] Valencia is returning after a season's absence in the first division (three seasons in Premier League). This is the first season in the Premier League for Super United Sports. They replaced Victory Sports Club and New Radiant (both teams relegated after suspension due to financial reasons).[3]
Teams and their divisions
- Note: Table lists clubs in alphabetical order.
Personnel
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Head Coach | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor (chest) | Shirt sponsor (back) | Shirt sponsor (sleeve) | Short |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club Eagles | Maldives Mohamed Shiyaz | Maldives Hussain Sifaau | Jerzia | ||||
| Green Streets | Maldives Ali Nisthar Mohamed | Maldives Rilwan Waheed | Captain Maldives | ||||
| Valencia | Maldives Mohamed Athif | Maldives Ali Ashfaq | Jerzia | ||||
| Da Grande | Maldives Ismail Mahfooz | Maldives Yasfaadh Habeeb | Malhi MV | ||||
| Maziya | Serbia Risto Vidaković | Maldives Asadhulla Abdulla | SE - Sports Emporium | Ooredoo Maldives | |||
| TC Sports | Maldives Mohamed Shazly | Maldives Mohamed Azzam | |||||
| Super United | Maldives Ahmed Nashid | Maldives Ahmed Farhan | SE - Sports Emporium | Fathaha Mall (main) Heena Mobiles |
SJ Group (top) Maldives Wave (bottom) |
Albion Store | LITUS |
| United Victory | Maldives Ihsan Abdul Ghanee (interim) | Maldives Mohamed Arif | Jerzia |
Coaching changes
| Team | Outgoing Head Coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming Head Coach | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maziya | North Macedonia Marjan Sekulovski[5] | End of contract | 2 July 2020 | Pre-season | Maldives Mohamed Nizam[6] | 21 July 2020 |
| Super United | Maldives Ibrahim Shafiu | 20 February 2020 | Maldives Ahmed Nashid[7] | 13 September 2020 | ||
| Valencia | Maldives Ilmau Hussain Ibrahim | 20 February 2020 | Maldives Mohamed Athif[8] | 16 October 2020 | ||
| Maziya | Maldives Mohamed Nizam[9] | Resigned | 27 December 2020 | 1st | Maldives Ahmed Suzayr (interim) | 27 December 2020 |
| Maziya | Maldives Ahmed Suzayr (interim) | Arrival of new coach | 3 January 2021 | 2nd | Serbia Risto Vidaković[10] | 3 January 2021 |
| Club Eagles | Maldives Mohamed Shiyaz | Mutual consent | 16 January 2021 | 7th | Vaccent | TBA |
| United Victory | Maldives Mohamed Adam | Resigned | 16 January 2021 | 8th | Maldives Ihsan Abdul Ghanee (interim) | 16 January 2021 |
Foreign players
| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Asian Player | Former Players 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club Eagles | Egypt Osama Elshihy | Egypt Elsayed Mahmoud | Lebanon Mohammad Taha | Burkina Faso Ismaël Yanogo Montenegro Milan Jelovac Yemen Osama Anbar | |
| Green Streets | Egypt Khalil Elbezawy | Spain Angel Carrasco Muñoz | Egypt Mahmoud Sayed | Pakistan Saqib Hanif | Egypt Elsayed Mahmoud |
| Valencia | Spain Jose Dominguez | Spain Toni Soler | Uzbekistan Vladislav Nuriev | ||
| Da Grande | Uzbekistan Otabek Khaydarov | Uzbekistan Abdurasal Komilov | Uzbekistan Akhror Umarjonov | ||
| Maziya | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Cornelius Stewart | Serbia Petar Planić | Serbia Nikola Vujanac | Japan Takashi Odawara | |
| TC Sports | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Malcolm Stewart | Azerbaijan Elmaddin Mammadov | Sri Lanka Duckson Puslas | ||
| Super United | Spain Víctor Rodríguez Muñoz | Uzbekistan Mirzokhid Mamatkhonov | Japan Atsushi Yonezawa | Japan Eisuke Mohri | |
| United Victory | Ukraine Kyrylo Silich | Kyrgyzstan Anatoliy Vlasichev | Kyrgyzstan Marat Ajiniyazov | Kyrgyzstan Ruslan Amirov |
- Players name in bold indicates the player is registered during the mid-season transfer window.
- ^1 Foreign players who left their clubs or were de-registered from playing squad due to medical issues or other matters.
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maziya (C) | 14 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 34 | 6 | +28 | 34 | Qualification for 2022 AFC Cup group stage |
| 2 | Valencia | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 21 | 9 | +12 | 25 | Qualification for 2022 AFC Cup preliminary round 2 |
| 3 | Green Streets | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 16 | −3 | 19 | |
| 4 | Eagles | 14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 21 | −6 | 17 | |
| 5 | Da Grande | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 17 | 25 | −8 | 16 | |
| 6 | Super United | 14 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 18 | −9 | 15 | |
| 7 | TC Sports | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 19 | −8 | 13 | |
| 8 | United Victory | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 20 | 26 | −6 | 12 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Goal difference; 6) Goals scored.
(C) Champions
References
- ↑ "Season to start in December?". Mihaaru (in ދިވެހިބަސް). 4 July 2020. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
- ↑ "New football season anticipated to start in December!". FAMaldives. Archived from the original on 2020-11-16. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Valencia makes a comeback to First Division Reejje.mv Published: Jan 15, 2020
- ↑ "Atoll teams slots to Premier League on hold". Mihaaru Sports (in ދިވެހިބަސް). 22 July 2020. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
- ↑ "Maziya in talks with two local coaches to replace Sekulovski". Raajje.mv. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
- ↑ "Nizambe selected as Maziya's head coach". Raajje.mv. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
- ↑ "Naadhu appointed as SUS head coach". Fahuminet (in ދިވެހިބަސް). Retrieved 2020-09-13.
- ↑ "Valencia appoints Aathy and ready to start preseason tomorrow". Mihaaru (in ދިވެހިބަސް). 16 October 2020. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
- ↑ Shaany, Aishath (28 December 2020). "Maziya's head coach Nizam resigns". Raajje. Archived from the original on 28 December 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- ↑ "El ex del Betis Risto Vidakovic ficha por el Maziya de las Islas Maldivas". Diario de Sevilla (in español). 4 January 2021. Archived from the original on 4 January 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2021.