New Radiant Sports Club is a Maldivian professional football club based in Henveiru, Malé. The club was founded on 19 August 1979::maldivesoccer.com: club profile :: by Ahmed Waheed. New Radiant is the most successful in the Maldives in terms of trophies won and in the international arena. They were semi-finalists of the AFC Cup in 2005, and the only Maldivian club to have progressed beyond the group stage.
New Radiant has won the Dhivehi Premier League six times, FA cup 13 times and the Maldives Cup Winners' Cup four times. They won President's Cup 12 times and POMIS Cup 3 times. In 2019, the Football Association of Maldives suspended New Radiant from all football related activities due to unpaid wages and fines.
History 1994–99 In the 1994 season, New Radiant won POMIS Cup and the FA cup. In the 1995 Season, the blues won POMIS Cup and 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.
2000–08 In the year 2000, New Radiant won only Maldives Cup Winners' Cup. In the 2004 season, New Radiant claimed the FA Cup. In the 2005 season, the Blues reached the semi-finals of the AFC Cup and were beaten by the later champions Al Faisaly. In 2006 they won the FA Cup and the Dhivehi League. In the 2007 Season, the Blues were able to clinch 2 titles, the FA Cup and the President's Cup. In 2008, the Cup Winners Cup was won by New Radiant. They lost the FA Cup final.
2012–15 They won the 2012 Dhivehi League without losing a single match and also won the President's Cup by beating Victory Sports Club in the final. In 2013, the Blues won the first Charity Shield match and the league shield, becoming the first team to finish the league with a 100 percent record. In the same year, they won the FA Cup and finished the season by winning the President's Cup. In the 2014 season, the Blues won the Maldives FA Charity Shield by beating Maziya. The club won the 2014 Dhivehi League, third league title in a row. On November 30, New Radiant won 2014 President's Cup, also third time in a row. In 2015, the Blues reached the President's Cup final. The club won the 2015 Dhivehi Premier League.
2016 In 2016, New Radiant finished fifth in the league and in the group stage of the 2016 AFC Cup. After 2011, this was the year club did not win any of the tournaments.
2017–18 The Blues finished 3rd in the Male' League and got promoted to the 2017 Dhivehi Premier League. New Radiant won the Dhivehi Premier League and qualified for the 2018 AFC Cup group stage. They also won the 2017 Maldives FA Cup and the President's Cup. Next year, New Radiant finished second in the 2018 AFC Cup group F, and won the Male' League.
2019–22 In January 2019, the Football Association of Maldives (FAM) suspended New Radiant 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 characterized the suspension as "politically motivated", 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 to eventual champions Buru Sports Club.
2023–24 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 by 3–1 and Club PK by 8–0, but fell short in the playoff semi-final.
2025–26 After a five-year absence from top-flight football, 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, having been eliminated in the semi-final of the 2024–25 FAM Second Division by rivals Victory SC. However, in August 2025, Super United Sports withdrew from the Premier League citing financial insolvency. On August 28, the Football Association of Maldives (FAM) Executive Committee voted to award the vacant 10th spot to New Radiant. The decision was justified 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 contested via a playoff. Allegations of favoritism surfaced in local media, pointing to the fact that several members of the FAM 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.
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. New Radiant began the campaign with a 6–0 victory over TC Sports Club and remained unbeaten for their first three matches.</ref> They ultimately finished the 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-final of the 2026 President's Cup (Maldives), falling to Maziya in the semi-final.
Honours Domestic Dhivehi League/Dhivehi Premier League Champions (6): 2006, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017
Maldives FA Cup Winners (13): 1989, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2017, 2026
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
Season by season records (1979–1999) Updated on 30 November 2015 SeasonNational ChampionshipFA CupPOMIS CupCup Winners' CupSeason Top scorersNameGoal1979 – – –1980 – – –1981 – – –1982Champion – – –1983 – – –1984Runners-up – – –1985Runners-up – – –1986Runners-up – –1987Champion –Group stage –1988Runners-upRunners-up –1989Champion –1990ChampionRunners-up –1991ChampionChampion –1992Runners-up –1993Runners-up –1994Runners-upChampionChampion –1995ChampionRunners-upChampion1996Champion1997ChampionChampionChampion –1998ChampionRunners-upRunners-up1999Runners-upChampion
ChampionsRunners-upThird placeUndefinedNot qualified
National Championship = President's Cup (Maldives) Cup Winners' Cup = Maldives Cup Winners' Cup – = Not yet Introduced or Not held
2000–present Updated on 04 April 2026 SeasonDhivehi League / Dhivehi Premier LeagueMale' LeagueCharity ShieldPresident's CupFA CupPOMIS CupCW CupSeason Top scorersDivisionPldGWDLGFGAPtsPosNameGoal2000DL – –Third place4thChampion2001DL5th –NQChampionNQThird place Shah Ismail172002DL7313138104th4th –4thRunners-up –Third place Mausoom2003DL127142418224th5th –Third place4thGSChampion Ali Shiham2004DL12642401322Runners-upChampion –Champion4th –Third place Ibrahim Fazeel2005DL12732281024Runners-upThird place –Runners-upChampion –Third place Ibrahim Fazeel2006DL12912291628Champion4th –Third placeChampion –Runners-up Ali Umar2007DL1271425922Runners-up – –ChampionChampion –Runners-up Ali Ashfaq2008DL126242819204th – –4thRunners-up –Champion Ahmed Thariq2009DL186573133234th –NQ4th4th – – Shamveel Qasim2010DL2111374431364th –NQThird placeRunners-up – –2011DL199464124314th –NQRunners-up4th – – Ali Fasir182012DL19154048949Champion –NQChampionQF – – Ali Ashfaq222013DL19190073557Champion –ChampionChampionChampion – – Ali Ashfaq442014DL19171157852Champion –ChampionChampionRunners-up – – Ali Fasir232015DPL141031271333Champion –Runners-upRunners-up –GS – Ashad Ali72016DPL2165101725235th –NQGS3rd – – Izzath Abdul Baaree Hamza Mohamed42017DPL14130144939Champion3rdNQChampionChampion – – Ali Fasir212018DPL168444422284thChampionCANCELLED – – – – Ali Fasir272025-26DPL1811434216373rd – NQThird placeChampion – – Ali Fasir15
ChampionsRunners-upThird placeRelegatedIn progressUndefinedNot qualified
Pld = Played GW = Games won D = Games drawn L = Games lost GF = Goals for GA = Goals against Pts = Points Pos = Final position
DL = Dhivehi League DPL = Dhivehi Premier League CW Cup = Maldives Cup Winners' Cup
NQ = Not qualified n/a = No allocation slots in Maldives – = Not held or abolished QR2 = Second Qualifying Round R1 = Round 1 GS = Group stage QF = Quarter-finals
Continental record SeasonCompetitionRoundClubHomeAwayAggregate1991Asian Club ChampionshipQualifying Second round Mohammedan SC0–23–00–51993–94Asian Club ChampionshipFirst round Youth League Club3–00–25–0Second round Mohammedan SCN/P18–0N/P1Quarter-final Al Qadisiya(w/o)21995Asian Cup Winners' CupFirst round Ratnam Sports Club(w/o)3Second round JCT FC1–00–22–1Second round East Bengal Club3–02–03–2Quarter-final Yokohama Flügels0–25–00–71996–97Asian Club ChampionshipFirst round Pettah United SC0–2(w/o)n/p4Second round JCT FC1–00–22–1Quarter-final Cheonan Ilhwa Chunma9–04th Pohang Steelers0–6 Yokohama Marinos10–01997–98Asian Cup Winners' CupFirst round Beijing Guoan0–48–00–121998–99Asian Cup Winners' CupFirst round Mahendra Police2–00–02–1Second round Happy Valley3–15–14–61999-00Asian Cup Winners' CupFirst round Công An Thành Phô Hồ Chí Minh1–31–01–42001–02Asian Cup Winners' CupFirst round Muktijoddha Sangsad1–21–01–32002–03AFC Champions LeagueQualification First Round Air Force2–11–12–3Qualification Second Round Shimizu S-Pulse0–07–07–02005AFC CupGroup E Happy Valley2–00–22nd Home United1–02–0 Pahang FA1–11–0Quarter-final Al-Hussein (Irbid)1–00–01–0Semi-final Al-Faisaly (Amman)1–14–15–22006AFC CupGroup E Xiangxue Sun Hei5–22–04th Perlis FA0–06–0 Home United5–32–02007AFC CupGroup E Happy Valley0–22–14th Mahindra United0–21–0 Singapore Armed Forces FC2–33–12008AFC CupGroup E Perak FA1–33–04th Kitchee2–12–0 Singapore Armed Forces FC0–31–12013AFC CupGroup F Sunray Cave JC Sun Hei1–00–31st Persibo Bojonegoro6–10–7 Yangon United3–12–0Round of 16 Selangor FA(w/o)3|2–0 Quarter-final Al-Kuwait2–75–02–122014AFC CupGroup E Home United1–02–04th Churchill Brothers3–01–2 Persipura Jayapura0–23–02015AFC CupGroup H Persib Bandung0–14–13rd Lao Toyota2–11–1 Ayeyawady United0–30–02016AFC CupGroup F Balestier Khalsa2–23–04th Kaya FC0–01–0 Kitchee0–20–02018AFC CupGroup E Dhaka Abahani5–10–12nd Aizawl FC3–11–2 Bengaluru FC2–01–0 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.
External links New Radiant on maldivesoccer.com (archived 10 March 2007) New Radiant on the-AFC.com
Footnotes