President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has said that all Maldivians stand united in their support for the Maldives national football team's bid to win the SAFF Championship for the third time. He made these remarks during a meeting with the Maldives national football team at Hotel Jen this afternoon, before the beginning of the SAFF Championship 2021.

President Solih noted at the gathering that Maldivians are dedicated football fans and that our aspirations are attached to the Maldives team winning this championship. He stated that since taking office, this administration had been working to develop sports and sports infrastructure without any discrimination. In this regard, he revealed the government's plan to modernise THE National Football Stadium with essential amenities and services.

President Solih shed light on Covid-19's negative impact on football along with everything else. He mentioned that he believes the team had trained themselves thoroughly to win this championship in the short amount of time they got. Furthermore, President Solih stated that this administration had also increased the monetary incentive for winning sports, revealing that the government intends to provide a bonus for every winning match as an additional perk.

This year is the 13th SAFF Championship. The Maldives had won the cup twice before, once in 2008 and once in 2018.