Won on the Pitch, Lost in the Chaos: The Cup Final That Never Truly Ended

When Indian referee A.K. Mamukoya blew the final whistle, the players and supporters of Club Valencia erupted with joy. They had just won the 1995 Cup Winners' Cup, the maiden edition of the tournament, in what was at the time the most expensive football event ever held in the Maldives.

On the other side, New Radiant's players and fans were crushed by the sorrow of defeat. Their dream of becoming the season’s most successful team by winning three out of the four major tournaments had just slipped away.

Yet, amidst this emotional climax, something strange unfolded. The final score and result were not announced at the stadium, a customary practice at the time, and no medal ceremony was held.

This led to confusion and frustration among both sets of supporters. As uncertainty lingered, Valencia’s fans grew angry, and New Radiant’s fans became increasingly upset.

An hour and a half after the match ended, Football Association of Maldives (FAM) General Secretary, Hamid Abdul Gafoor, finally addressed the crowd over the loudspeaker. He announced that the result would be declared at a later time.

But what had happened? Valencia had clearly won the match 2 to 1. There were no incidents of crowd unrest or game disruption. So why the delay? It was later revealed that the referee had failed to send off a Valencia player, Mohamed Zahid, nicknamed Battey, who had received a second yellow card.

This was an oversight that could have affected the match’s legitimacy. Because of this, FAM could not officially declare Valencia as the winner until the matter was resolved.

Such a situation had never occurred in Maldivian football before, and it shocked everyone. Ironically, most fans only realized something was amiss after the final whistle, not during the match itself. The association had brought in an Indian referee in hopes of neutral and fair officiating, as tensions were high between the two rival clubs.

Valencia entered the game seeking revenge, having lost to New Radiant in the National Tournament final and missing out on a historic third consecutive title. Before the match, Valencia coach Heena Ahmed Saleem (Bodu Heena) even declared, “New Radiant can’t win every time,” firing the first verbal salvo.

In front of a packed stadium of 10,000 fans, Valencia took an early lead in the 5th minute through Ismail Asif (Kuda Heena), the coach’s younger brother. New Radiant equalized 25 minutes later with a penalty from Nihan Naseer. Then, in the 76th minute, Valencia regained the lead with a goal from Adam Abdul Latheef (Latchey).

As Valencia clung to their lead, they adopted defensive tactics and began stalling. At one point, Battey received a yellow card for delaying a free kick. He had already been booked earlier, and realizing a red card was imminent, he began walking off the pitch. But the Valencia bench noticed that the referee had not pulled out a red card and urged Battey to stay on.

The referee, in fact, did not send Battey off. Even New Radiant’s players did not protest, likely unaware that Battey had already been booked. However, assistant referee Ahmed Abeer Ismail noticed the situation and alerted the main referee. Upon checking his notebook, the referee found that the first yellow card had been incorrectly recorded against player number 19, Ali Rasheed (Schillaci Ayya), who was not even present at the time of the initial offense. Believing Battey had only one yellow card, the referee allowed him to continue.

Valencia quickly substituted Battey with Ibrahim Haleem (Kuda Jadaa), and the match ended 2 to 1.

FAM only realized the error after the final whistle. Vice Chairman Kaamineepool Abdul Shukoor and General Secretary Hamid reviewed the incident with the referee in his room. Then, along with Chairman Sumerblue Ibrahim Manik, they summoned the managers of both clubs.

Fans were left in the dark. Valencia’s supporters, initially jubilant, became angry. New Radiant’s fans, frustrated by the silence, also turned hostile. Chants calling for the resignation of FAM officials filled the air. By nightfall, the stadium atmosphere had grown volatile. Some fans began rioting, pulling out stadium chairs and even damaging a parked minister’s car with a hurled seat.

Eventually, the chairmen of both clubs, Kaamineepool Hassan Manik of New Radiant and Hiyalee Mohamed Rasheed of Valencia, were called in for a meeting. FAM explained the situation. The referee had mistakenly recorded the first yellow card against the wrong player.

Being unfamiliar with the players, he relied on his notebook and did not recognize Battey’s face when issuing the second yellow. Since his notes did not indicate Battey had been booked before, he did not issue a red card. Based on the referee’s official report, Valencia had not been reduced to ten men. Therefore, from a procedural standpoint, there was no breach. Valencia refused to replay the match, insisting that if New Radiant had concerns, they should have protested during the game, not afterward.

Chairman Hiyalee Rasheed told Haveeru, “I will write to everyone at the club, urging not to replay the match, even if asked by FAM.”

The association decided to consult FIFA and AFC. They even attempted to reach AFC General Secretary Dato Peter Velappan at home that night, but were unsuccessful. With the following days being the weekend, no immediate response could be secured.

Frustrations mounted. Fearing for the referee’s safety, FAM relocated him from Male’s Kam Hotel to Bandos Island Resort and the next day sent him back to India.

Eventually, FIFA and the AFC responded. They affirmed that the referee’s notebook was the final authority and that the result could not be changed after the match. They added that FAM still had discretion under tournament regulations. A final vote was taken, now by a show of hands, and the majority decided not to replay the match. Since the second yellow card had not been officially recorded, nothing in the referee’s report invalidated the result.

“After consultation with FIFA and AFC regarding the controversy in the Cup Winners’ Cup final on 11 August 1995 between New Radiant Sports Club and Club Valencia, the tournament committee concluded that the result recorded by the referee shall stand,” FAM stated In a press release issues that day.

New Radiant was not entirely satisfied, but their chairman Hassan told the media that they trusted FAM to make the best decision.

“We presented our view, and we were not wrong.”

The trophy ceremony was held days later at the Majeedhiya School Hall and was broadcast live on TV. The venue, which could seat 400, saw only 50 attendees, mostly Valencia players, officials, and a few supporters. New Radiant was represented by team manager Ahmed Kaleem and midfielder Ismail Mahefooz (Imma).

Valencia captain Moosa Manik (Kuda Moosa), in regular clothes rather than his victory-soaked jersey, received the trophy from Construction Minister Umar Zahir, not in front of thousands, but in a quiet hall. The joy of triumph was dampened by administrative delays.

As Valencia posed for photos with their MVR 100,000 ceremonial cheque and the trophy, they smiled for the cameras. But as captain Moosa later admitted, beneath those smiles, they felt only frustration and detachment.

It was an echo of a lost celebration. The day the trophy waited, but the joy never came.