The 2018 Malé League will be the eighth season of the Malé League, the top division of Maldivian football under the latest update of the Maldivian football league system. The league was made up of the 8 clubs.
| Season | 2018 |
|---|---|
← 2017 2019 → | |
Format
editAll eight teams play against each other in Two Round Format. Team with most total points at the end of the season will be crowned as Malé League champion. Top six teams qualify for the Dhivehi Premier League. Bottom two teams play the Malé League qualification with the runner-up of Second Division.
The team with the most points in Malé League qualification after a two-legged group round will play in the next year's Malé League. Bottom two will be relegated to Second Division.[1]
Teams
editA total of 8 teams will be contesting in the league.
Teams and their divisions
edit- Note: Table lists clubs in alphabetical order.
| Team | Division |
|---|---|
| Eagles | Maafannu |
| Club Green Streets | Machchangolhi |
| Valencia | Machchangolhi |
| Maziya | West Maafannu |
| New Radiant | Henveiru |
| TC Sports Club | Henveiru |
| United Victory | Galolhu |
| Victory | Galolhu |
Personnel
editNote: 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Eagles |  Mohamed Shiyaz
|
 Sujan Perera
|
| Green Streets | Ali Suzain
|
Ashad Ali
|
| Valencia | Sobah Mohamed
|
Mohamed Sifan
|
| Maziya | Ismail Mahfooz
|
Asadhulla Abdulla
|
| New Radiant |  Óscar Bruzón
|
Ali Ashfaq
|
| TC Sports Club | Mohamed Nizam
|
Farrah Ahmed
|
| United Victory | Mohamed Nazeeh
|
Hussain Shimaz
|
| Victory |  László Kiss
|
Shafiu Ahmed
|
Coaching changes
editForeign players
editPlayers name in bold indicates the player is registered during the mid-season transfer window.
League table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Radiant | 14 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 40 | 10 | +30 | 37 | 2018 Dhivehi Premier League |
| 2 | Eagles | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 32 | 22 | +10 | 25 | |
| 3 | Maziya | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 26 | 12 | +14 | 24 | |
| 4 | TC Sports Club | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 24 | 20 | +4 | 20 | |
| 5 | Victory | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 21 | 24 | −3 | 20 | |
| 6 | Green Streets | 14 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 28 | 31 | −3 | 14 | |
| 7 | United Victory | 14 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 15 | 33 | −18 | 9 | Malé League qualification |
| 8 | Valencia | 14 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 11 | 45 | −34 | 7 |
Season summary
editRound One and Two
editNote 1: The notion of home and away fixtures in the 2018 Malé League is moot as all games are played at National Football Stadium. As such, for the purpose of this table, the first result chronologically has been deemed that team's "home" game and the second the "away" game.
Positions by round
editThe table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches.
Matches
editFirst round
editA total of 28 matches will be played in this round.
Second round
editA total of 28 matches will be played in this round.
Season statistics
editTop scorers
editHat-tricks
edit2019 Malé League qualification
editThe qualifiers were to be played between 2018 Malé League bottom two teams– United Victory and Club Valencia, and 2018 Second Division runner up JJ Sports Club. Due to unknown reasons, JJ Sports Club withdrew their chance in the qualification phase.[2]
| United Victory | 2–0 | Club Valencia |
|---|---|---|
Ali Haishan  18'Rafael Betim Marti 88' |
Report |
| Club Valencia | 2–2 | United Victory |
|---|---|---|
| Mohamed Sifan ?' Ansar Ibrahim 18' |
Report | 30' Kordell Samuel ?' Rafael Betim Marti |
- United Victory won 4–2 on aggregate and secured their first division spot for next season.
- Club Valencia relegated for the first time in the 39-year history of the club.
References
edit- [1] on Mihaaru Online.
- ^ މާލޭ ލީގުން ހަ ޓީމާ އެކު ދިވެހި ލީގުގައި 10 ޓީމު Mihaaru Sports. 05 January 2018
- ^ "JJ withdraws dhivehi league qualifiers". Mihaaru Online. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2020.