President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih says sports play a pivotal role in driving socially vulnerable youth away from crime and towards becoming responsible citizens. He made the statement at a meeting held with the representatives of the first division football clubs, at the President’s Office this afternoon.

Speaking at the meeting, representatives from the clubs shared collective views regarding resuming the annual football season and discussed avenues of resolving other pertinent issues.

The President's office had said that they revealed that the Covid-19 recovery measures have financially weighed down the clubs, emphasizing the heavy burden of supporting their players throughout the pandemic.

Speaking at the meeting, President Solih affirmed that the Administration would work with relevant stakeholders to address the concerns raised.

He also urged clubs and players to take a proactive role in promoting protective measures to prevent transmission of Covid-19, in a bid to overcome the pandemic at the earliest.

The Dhiraagu Dhivehi League was abandoned mid-season amid the spike in COVID-19 cases and this has prompted widescale displeasure from the clubs and players from the league.