New Radiant S.C.

New Radiant Sports Club is a Maldivian professional football club based in Henveiru – Malé, Maldives. The club was founded on 19 August 1979 by Ahmed Waheed and his friend Ahammadhanik. New Radiant has won all domestic competitions being held in the Maldives and the club is the most successful in the Maldives in terms of trophies won and is also the most successful Maldivian club in the international arena. They were semi-finalists in the AFC Cup in 2005 and the only Maldivian club to have progressed beyond group stages in the AFC cup in multiple occasions.

New Radiant has won Dhivehi League/Dhivehi Premier League six times, FA cup 12 times out of 29 and have won the Maldives Cup Winners' Cup four times. They won President's Cup 12 times and POMIS Cup 3 times. In 2019, Football Association of Maldives suspended New Radiant from all football related activities due to unpaid wages to the players and failing to pay fines amounting to almost US$2 Million to FIFA and FAM.

History

1994–1999

In the 1994 Season, New Radiant won POMIS Cup and the FA cup. In the 1995 Season, the blues won POMIS Cup and Maldives National Championship / President's Cup. New Radiant won all the competitions that were held in 1997. In the 1998 Season, the blues won FA Cup three times in a row and became first team to do so in Maldivian footballing history. In 1999, New Radiant won only Maldives Cup Winners' Cup. The club took part in the Asian Club Championship consecutively in the 1990s.

2000–2003

In the year 2000, New Radiant won only Maldives Cup Winners' Cup.

2004–2008

In the 2004 Season, New Radiant claimed the FA cup and became the first team ever to qualify for the Asian cup.

In the 2005 Season, The blues reached the Semi-finals of the AFC Cup 2005 and were beaten in semi-finals by champions Al Faisaly of Jordan.

In 2006, was a successful season for New Radiant. The blues won FA cup and the Dhivehi League.

In the 2007 Season, The Blues were able to clinch 2 titles, both the FA cup and the President's Cup. Dhivehi League was dominated by New Radiantt during the early stages, but after poor results against smaller clubs like Maziya and Vyansa, Victory took the lead. The winner was decided on the last match which the Blues lost against the Red Devils.

In 2008, The first tournament of the season, the Cup Winners Cup was won by New Radiant. They lost FA cup final against VB Sports Club. After dominated in the first games of season, but the Blues ended up with poor results in the League & Presidents' Cup. They were knocked out of the AFC Cup 2008 in the group stage with 1 win, 1 draw and 4 losses.

2009–2011

In the 2009 Season, this was the year club did not win any of the tournaments after 2002. The Blues did not qualify for the AFC Cup 2009. The year 2010 was also an unsuccessful year for New Radiant. But the club ended the unbeaten streak of League Champions VB Sports Club in the FA cup semi-final. However, similar to the previous years, they had to end the season with no success, as they lost the FA cup final against Victory. In 2011, the Club reached President's Cup final but lost against the Victory Sports club.

2012–2015

They won 2012 Dhivehi League without losing a single match and also won the President's Cup by beating Victory Sports Club in the final. During the whole season, New Radiant lost just one match, which was against Club Eagles in the quarter-final of FA cup. They qualified for the AFC Cup 2013 and have brought the most promising young stars to the team in preparation for the continental stage.

In 2013, the blues won the first Charity Shield match from the beginning of the season and they won 2013 Dhivehi League shield, becoming the first team in the history to finish off the league with a 100 percent record, without losing or drawing any of their matches. In August 2013, they won the Veterans Cup (35+ age) for the first time. At the beginning of October, they won FA Cup after 5 years. New Radiant SC finished the season by winning the President's Cup and that completed the domestic season with a remarkable 100% winning record.

This year the blues reached AFC Cup 2013 quarter final to make another records.

In the 2014 Season, On June 10, the blues won the Maldives FA Charity Shield match by beating Maziya. The club won 2014 Dhivehi League three times in a row and qualify AFC Cup 2015. On November 30, New Radiant SC won 2014 President's Cup three times in a row and that completed the record for the Maldivian football history to the only club which won all top division championship three times in a row.

In this year, the Blues also won the 2014 FAM Women's Football Championship after beating Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF).

In 2015, the Blues reached President's Cup final but lost against Maziya. The club won 2015 Dhivehi Premier League four times in a row and qualify AFC Cup 2016 group stage.

2016

In 2016, New Radiant SC finished fifth position in 2016 Dhivehi Premier League and knockout in the group stage of AFC Cup 2016. The Blues finished 3rd in FA cup and knockout in the group stage of President's Cup.

After 2011, this was the year club did not win any of the tournaments.

2017–2018

The Blues finished 3rd in Male' League and promoted to 2017 Dhivehi Premier League. In this year New Radiant SC won 2017 Dhivehi Premier League and qualify AFC Cup 2018 group stage. Also won FA cup & President's Cup by beating TC Sports Club.

In 2018, New Radiant SC finished second of AFC Cup 2018 Group F. This year the blues won Male' League after 2004.

2019-2022

In January 2019, the Football Association of Maldives (FAM) suspended New Radiant from all football activities due to the club's failure to pay approximately MVR 3.8 million in wages to both local and foreign players . The club's leadership, including Chairman Zeena Ashraf, characterized the suspension as "politically motivated," alleging it was a retaliatory move by then-FAM President Bassam Adeel Jaleel against his critics .

The suspension lasted over three years until it was officially lifted in July 2022 . This followed a government-backed initiative to settle the club’s outstanding debts . In their return to competitive football during the 2022 FAM Second Division, New Radiant delivered a strong performance but ultimately fell short of promotion in the semis to eventual champions Buru Sports Club.

2023-2024

For the 2023-24 FAM Second Division New Radiant were placed in a group with B.G. Sports Club, Tent Sports Club, Da Grande Sports Club, and Club Teenage. New Radiant again dominated the group stage, notably defeating Tent Sports Club 3–1 and Club PK 8–0 in the quarter-finals This led to a semi final clash between their arch-rivals Victory Sports Club .. New Radiant lost the match 2–0, failing to secure a promotion spot for the second consecutive year, as the both finalists get promoted to the Dhivehi Premier League .

2025-26

After a five-year absence from top-flight football due to a 2019 suspension over unpaid wages, New Radiant officially returned to the Dhivehi Premier League for the 2025–26 season . The club's return was marked by administrative controversy. Despite a storied history, New Radiant failed to secure automatic promotion on the pitch, having been eliminated in the semi-finals of the 2024–25 FAM Second Division by rivals Victory SC.

However, in August 2025, Super United Sports (SUS) withdrew from the Premier League citing financial insolvency . On August 28, 2025, the Football Association of Maldives (FAM) Executive Committee voted to award the vacant 10th spot to New Radiant. The decision was justified by the FAM on the grounds that New Radiant was the highest-ranked semi-finalist from the previous Second Division campaign .

The "backdoor" promotion drew sharp criticism from other Second Division clubs and football pundits. Opponents argued that the spot should have remained vacant or been contested via a playoff. Allegations of favoritism surfaced in local media, pointing to the fact that several members of the FAM normalization committee held past or present ties to the New Radiant board. Despite these challenges, the Maldives Sports Council upheld the decision, allowing the "Blues" to compete.

For the 2025–26 Dhivehi Premier League campaign, To lead their return to the top flight, New Radiant appointed Ali Suzain as head coach, along with major signings like Ali Ashfaq, and Ali Fasir, both returning for a fourth stint at the club . Along with the signing of multiple foreign and national team players for the season.

New Radiant began the campaign with a 6–0 victory over TC Sports Club and remained unbeaten for their first three matches </ref> . The team ultimately finished the league season in 3rd place with 37 points, trailing champions Maziya S&RC and runners-up Odi SC. In cup competition, the "Blues" reached the semi-finals of the 2026 President's Cup (Maldives) after a 2–1 win over Club Eagles in the final group match . Ultimatley falling to Maziya in the semis on penalties .

In the FA Cup, they are in the Semi Final after beating Odi SC in the quarters 4-0

Honours

Domestic

• Dhivehi League/Dhivehi Premier League

• Champions (6): 2006, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017

• Maldives FA Cup

• Winners (12): 1989, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2017

• Maldives National Championship / President's Cup

• Winners (12): 1982, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1997, 2004, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017

• Maldivian FA Charity Shield

• Winners: 2013, 2014

• Maldives Cup Winners' Cup

• Winners: 1999, 2000, 2003, 2008

• Male' League

• Winners: 2004, 2018

• POMIS Cup

• Winners: 1994, 1995, 1997

Other

• Veterans Cup

• Winners: 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017

• FAM Women's Football Championship

• Winners: 2014, 2015

Best moments

• 1987 – Represented Maldives in the Football event of South Asian Games

• 1995 – Played in Asian Cup Winners Cup

• 1996 – Played in Asian Cup Winners Cup

• 1997 – Won all the tournaments of the season (POMIS Cup, FA cup and Maldives National Championship / President's Cup)

• 1998 – Won FA cup thrice in three years

• 2005 – Reached Semi-finals of AFC Cup 2005

• 2006 – Won Dhivehi League for the first time

• 2007 – Won FA cup again for thrice in three years.

• 2008 – Won Cup winners cup by beating Victory Sports Club in final. This was the last Cup winners cup tournament.

• 2012 – Won Dhivehi League without losing a single game and President's Cup. In every games of the season, not conceded two goals in a single match, which was a local record.

• 2013 – Won all the domestic tournaments (Maldivian FA Charity Shield, 2013 Dhivehi League, FA cup, President's Cup) and finished the domestic season with a 100% winning record. Finished top of the group AFC Cup 2013 with a top scoring team in first round & reached Quarter finals of AFC Cup 2013.

• 2014 – The club won 2014 Dhivehi League & President's Cup three times in a row . This was the record for the Maldivian football history to the only club which won all top division championship three times in a row.

• 2015 – The club won 2015 Dhivehi Premier League four times in a row .

• 2017 – The club won 2017 Dhivehi Premier League, FA cup & President's Cup.

Season by season records (1979–1999)

Updated on 30 November 2015

Season by season records (2000–2026)

Updated on 04 April 2026

Continental record

1 New Radiant apparently qualified for quarter-final; reason unknown

2 New Radiant withdrew

3 Ratnam withdrew after 1st leg

4 The 2nd leg was cancelled due to political violence in Sri Lanka.

Notable players

• Afghanistan Zohib Islam Amiri

External links

• on maldivesoccer.com (archived 10 March 2007)

• on the-AFC.com

Footnotes