Ali Fasir
Ali Fasir, known by a nickname Sentey, is a Maldivian footballer who plays as a winger or striker for New Radiant and the Maldives national team.
Fasir began his career at Club Eagles after being spotted by the club during their training camps. He played one season with the club and spent a year without a club until he was offered from Club All Youth Linkage. He played a major role to promote his side from second division to Dhivehi League. Fasir had an impressive Dhivehi League debut season and then signed for the most successful Dhivehi League team Club Valencia for the following season. In the 2011 season, Fasir signed for New Radiant and had a breakthrough year scoring 18 goals from 23 appearances. He was the league second top scorer with just one goal behind Victory's Ibrahim Fazeel. After the end of this remarkable season, Fasir signed with rivals Victory but had to stay away from football due to a fibula fracture during a national side practice session.
Fasir returned to New Radiant in November 2012. During his second spell at New Radiant, Fasir won a quadruple with a remarkable 100% winning record in 2013 season. He also played his first AFC Cup tournament, helping the club to reach the quarter-finals, having scored in the group stage, round of 16 and also in the quarter-finals. His displays for club and country led to him finish second in the Haveeru Maldivian Footballer of the year 2014, despite having to miss some of the important matches at the end of the season due to an injury. After recovering from injury, Fasir scored his first goal in a cup final, leading his side win the President's Cup with his goal. He scored 23 goals from 24 appearances for his club during the 2014 season.
Fasir represented Maldives at under-23 level in 2010, having called up for the 2010 South Asian Games and 2010 Asian Games. In the same year, he made his debut for the Maldives senior side in an exhibition game. He was part of the Maldives teams represented the SAFF Championship in 2011 and 2013. Fasir scored the equalizing goal in an acrobatic style in the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup bronze medal-winning match against Afghanistan.
Early life
Fasir was born on 4 September 1988 in Eydhafushi, Maldives and attended Baa Atoll Education Centre. Fasir was his parents'; Aishath Ali and Ahmed Shaheem's third child among the six. From the other children, four sons; Hussain Fasir, Mohamed Fasir, Ismail Fasir, Abdulla Fasir and daughter Fathimath Faiha, Mohamed Fasir was a former footballer who played with him during his early career times at Club Eagles and Club All Youth Linkage, until Mohamed suffered a serious injury which he took four years to recover completely.Growing up in an island of Maldives, Fasir was an impressive player since a very young age and continued impressing the football spectators at school and island level until he was first offered by Club Eagles.
Club career
Club Eagles
2006 season
Fasir was first spotted by a Malé League team, Club Eagles during their training camp held at his home land Eydhafushi in 2006. Fasir was included in the three players Club Eagles offered the contract from Eydhafushi and he was later released at the end of the season as his contract got expired.Club All Youth Linkage
2008 season
In 2007, Club All Youth Linkage, a second division team noticed Fasir during an island level football tournament held in Eydhafushi. Club AYL signed him for the 2008 season and Fasir played a major role to qualify and win the 2009 Dhivehi League play-off round as 2008 second division tournament finalists to qualify the club to Dhivehi League for the first time.2009 season
Fasir played with the number 7 shirt this season and made his Dhivehi League debut in their first match of the 2009 season against VB Sports Club on 6 February 2009. He also scored in the 3–2 win against VB on that day. On 21 February 2009, Fasir scored in the 2–2 draw against New Radiant. On 5 June 2009, Fasir scored two goals against Kalhaidhoo ZJ in their 8–1 win and also assisted Fauzan Habeeb to score their third goal of the game. Fasir scored his second goal against VB Sports club on 26 June 2009 and he also received his first yellow card in the Dhivehi League.On 17 July 2009, Fasir made his Maldives FA Cup debut against Victory in the quarter finals but lost the game 2–1.
On 15 August 2009, Fasir assisted Santosh Sahukhala score in the injury time against New Radiant where they won 4–1. Club AYL went on to win against Kalhaidhoo 4–0 on 27 August 2009, with a goal from him and he also assisted Ju Manu Rai to score their second goal of the game.
As Club AYL finished the 2009 Dhivehi League at the fifth place in their debut season, they played all the matches in 2010 Dhivehi League play-off under the captaincy of Fasir.
Fasir scored against Vyansa on 2 October in their 4–1 win and also scored the winning goals against Kalhaidhoo ZJ on 8 October 2009 where they won 3–2 and against Club Valencia on 14 October where they won 2–1 to qualify to 2010 Dhivehi League as the winner of the 2010 Dhivehi League play-off.
The only match Fasir missed in the season was a league match against Victory, due to injury.
Club Valencia
2010 season
In January 2010, Fasir signed a one-year contract with Club Valencia receiving the number 7 shirt.He made his debut on 26 March against New Radiant in the Dhivehi League and scored in the first minute to take the lead in a 4–1 defeat. On 16 May 2010, Fasir was brought down inside the Vyansa penalty area which awarded a penalty for Valencia, which was converted into a goal by Shamweel Qasim. He also scored the third goal of the game by himself in the same match which ended as a 3–0 win. On 23 May 2010, Fasir set up the first two goals which were scored by Ahmed Nashid in a 7–1 win against Thoddoo. On 27 May 2010, he set up the goal scored by Assadhulla Abdulla in a 1–1 draw against Vyansa. Fasir provided two assists to Ahmed Nashid in a 2–0 win against Club AYL on 4 June 2010. On 25 July 2010, Fasir scored two controversial solo goals, by beating three defenders in the first goal and beating one in the second against New Radiant in a 4–4 draw. On 24 August 2010, Fasir set up the only goal of the game in a 1–0 win against Maziya which was scored by Assad Abdul Ghanee. On 17 September 2010, Fasir scored his side's only goal against Thoddoo, after beating their goalkeeper. On 21 September 2010, Fasir set up the winning goal to Assadhulla Abdulla after beating the Club AYL goalkeeper in the 2–1 win.
On 30 September 2010, Fasir scored his first Maldives FA Cup goal against Maziya in the quarter finals, where the match ended as a 1–1 draw but Valencia won the penalties 3–1 with Fasir's kick hit the cross-bar.
The final league game against Vyansa was the only game he did not appear in the field in the 2010 season.
New Radiant
2011 season
Fasir signed to New Radiant on a one-year deal in 2011 and was given the number 10 shirt.Fasir made his debut to his new club against VB Sports Club in the opening match of 2011 Dhivehi League on 30 March 2011, scoring one and assisting one goal in a 3–2 defeat. On 9 April 2011, Fasir set up the first goal which was scored by Ahmed Thoriq and also scored the second goal himself in a 3–1 win against Clyb AYL. Fasir scored their side's only goal in the injury time of the second half from a penalty against Vyansa. He also received his first yellow card in the New Radiant shirt, in the same match on 16 April 2011. On 23 April 2011, Fasir scored against his former club Valencia in a 4–2 win. On 20 May 2011, Fasir scored against Victory from a free-kick in a 3–2 defeat. On 30 May 2011, Fasir scored his first hat-trick for the Blues, in a 5–0 win against Club AYL, where his second goal came from a penalty. Fasir assisted Ahmed Niyaz's goal and also scored a solo goal himself beating two defenders inside the penalty area to win the league match 3–1 against Vyansa on 12 June 2011. On 15 June 2011, Fasir scored his second hat-trick for New Radiant in a 7–0 win against Club Eagles. His first goal of the match was from a penalty which was rewarded when Eagles defender fouled Fasir in the penalty area in the first minute of the game. In the same game, he also assisted their second goal, which was scored by Wright Charles Gaye. On 24 June 2011, Fasir scored New Radiant's only goal from a penalty, which equalized the score which ended 1–1 in the full-time. On 11 September 2011, Fasir scored against Valencia in a 2–2 draw. Fasir scored his side's first two goals in a 6–1 win over Victory on 20 September 2011.
In an FA Cup quarter finals match against Eagles on 29 September 2011, Fasir scored their first goal from a penalty kick in a 2–1 win. Fasir made his President's Cup debut against Maziya in a 2–1 win on 16 October 2011 in the semifinal qualifier. In the third place play-off match of the FA Cup, Fasir scored the only goal against Victory where they lost 3–1.
Victory Sports Club
2012 season
On 13 November 2011, he signed a one-year contract with Victory Sports Club. He was given the vacated number 7 shirt worn by Mukhthar Naseer during the 2011 season.Fasir spent most of the 2012 season out of football due to a fibula fracture in the practice match between the national team and New Radiant. He was expected to return in five months but he started practice with Victory in exact 6 months. After recovering from the injury, Fasir made his debut for Victory against Club Valencia after a month of practice, in a league match on 12 August 2012, coming on for Fauzan Habeeb at the start of second half. It just took two minutes for him to score his first goal for Victory with his first touch on the ball. In the same match, he also set up a goal for Hnsley Awilo where they won the match 8–2.
On 13 September 2012, he started his first match for the club in an FA Cup quarter finals match against Valencia, where he scored the game's first match in the 4–2 win. On 17 September 2012, Fasir again scored the games' first goal after beating the goalkeeper in a 4–2 win against Club AYL. Fasir scored in a 5–0 win against Club Eagles on 22 September 2012 again, by beating the opponent goalkeeper. On 1 October 2012, Fasir scored the only goal of the game to win three points for his side against Maziya. Fasir assisted the opening goal of the match scored by Hansley Awilo in a 5–2 win against VB Addu FC on 5 October 2012.
On 15 October 2012, Fasir played in the President's Cup final against his former club New Radiant, coming in to play for Hassan Adhuham in the second half. The match ended goalless for 120 minutes and ended as runners-up as they lost the penalty shoot-out 2–1. Fasir's penalty went over the cross-bar.