A team relegated because their direct rival forfeited the match

An extraordinary situation happened in the Dhiraagu Dhivehi Premier League (Maldives National Championship), where Club Valencia faced relegation not by defeat, but as a result of their direct rival abandoning the last match.

Before the final round, the relegation battle was very intense. Club Valencia’s crucial victory in the penultimate round allowed them to equalize points with Green Streets and kept their hope alive to stay in the top division. According to calculated scenarios, if Green Streets lost to New Radiant by a margin of 4 goals or more, Club Valencia would avoid relegation thanks to the tiebreaker criteria.

However, that scenario quickly collapsed in an unexpected way. In the decisive match, Green Streets did not field any players, even though they submitted their squad list according to regulations. When the kickoff time came, the white-shirted team was completely “missing,” making it impossible for the match to proceed normally.

According to the league rules, the team that fails to appear on the field will be considered to have lost 0-2. Ironically, the 0-2 scoreline was just enough for Green Streets to avoid relegation, while Club Valencia — a team not directly involved in this match — became the main victim. At the end of the season, Club Valencia ranked 9th and was officially relegated.

Immediately after the season ended, Club Valencia issued a strong statement condemning Green Streets’ “forfeit” as a deliberate attempt to manipulate the outcome in their favor. According to Club Valencia’s argument, accepting a 0-2 loss instead of playing was essentially “exploiting the rules” to achieve the goal of survival, resulting in consequences similar to match-fixing.

“Deciding the result in this manner is match-fixing. This is one of the most serious offenses football worldwide must confront,”the Club Valencia statement emphasized.

The club also called on the Football Association of Maldives (FAM) to launch an independent investigation to clarify the motives, responsibilities, and circumstances that led Green Streets to not show up. Additionally, Club Valencia declared it would submit the case to FIFA and AFC for review at higher levels.

This season’s Dhiraagu Dhivehi Premier League featured 10 teams, with the bottom two relegated directly. United Victory had already been relegated before the final round, while Club Valencia became the other team forced to leave the league despite their efforts to earn points in the closing stages.