Hungarian coach István Urbányi has stated the change in management of Football Association of Maldives (FAM), with the election of Ahmed Thoriq (Tom) as its President was a pivotal factor on taking on the role of head coach for Maldives National football team for the third time.
Urbányi said he was extremely happy to have been offered the role once again and accepted it.
In an exclusive interview given to a Hungarian news outlet, he said that his decision was also influenced by the fact that he is very familiar with the Maldives.
In the SAFF Championship final match of 2009, now FAM PresidentThoriq shined the brightest for the national team, achieving the prestigious Golden Boot award. He was also a notable player in SAFF Championship 2011 in India. Both these times, Urbányi was the coach of the National Team.
As an experienced Hungarian coach, István Urbányi first came to Maldives after SAFF Championship 2008. He stated that the Maldives National Team played well in both 2009 and 2011, but his proudest moment was when the Under 23 team won the Rajapaksa International Competition in Sri Lanka in 2013.
He said that it felt like they had won the world championship, and that football is their number one sport, highlighting the Maldives’ excitement and focus on football.
He also noted that the Maldives’ political sphere had previously cast a shadow onto football, resulting in low attendance for matches. He said that there are 40-50 talented players ready to be part of the team, and that he is designing the team to the best of his capabilities.
He stated that he has a full work schedule, as there will be a lot of important matches in February, and many important competitions beyond that, such as the SAFF championship to plan and preapre for.
István Urbányi was brought in as a coach as Ali Suzain and Mohamed Shiyaz (Mohan), former coaches failed to bring satisfactory results.