Shock and outrage as trophy taken from Ilan and given to Indian footballer

Maldivian U20 football team captain Mohamed Ilan Imran, who shared the top scorer award in the SAFF U20 Championship with Indian footballer Omang Dodum, had the trophy taken from his hands and given to Indian footballer after the awards ceremony on Friday night, sparking shock and outrage.

The two footballers became joint top scorers, after finishing the tournament with three goals each.

But the unexpected move to take the trophy from Ilan and hand it over to Omang sparked outrage from supporters as well as the Maldivian football community.

Senior officials from the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) who spoke to Sun defended the move, but also said they had apologized to Ilan and his parents.

But many continue to accuse Indian officials at SAFF of discrimination, and question why a trophy that belongs to two players must be handed over to one from a specific team.

“This is a serious issue. There’s a history of similar incidents involving influence by Indian officials. Both Ilan and the Indian footballer climbed the stage to accept the award. The Indian footballer didn’t want it, so the trophy remained in Ilan’s hands. But then he changed his mind in the last minute and suddenly wanted it, and they snatched the trophy from Ilan’s hands and gave it to him. This is a grave injustice,” said a senior official from the Football Association of Maldives (FAM), who spoke to Sun on condition of anonymity.

SAFF's general coordinator Saeed Asif Hussain, who had been the one to take the trophy from Ilan, later apologized to the young footballer and his family.

But despite the apology, many, including multiple Maldivian coaches, continue to criticize the decision, which they believe is highly inappropriate coming from the region’s top football institute.

“We are talking about young footballers who are under the age of 18. Ilan deserves it too. It’s not just the Indian footballer who deserves it. They do not have any authority to take the award from Ilan and give it to the Indian player,” said a top Maldivian football coach.

SAFF has reportedly decided to return the trophy to Ilan within two days. However, many slam this incident as a bad example for up-and-coming footballers.