A much respected and locally renowned football coach, Ihusaan Abdul Ghani (Saanthee) was laid to rest in the capital Male’ with hundreds attending the funeral.
Ihusaan at the age of 51 passed away late Saturday at the Tree Top Hospital in Hulhumale’ after losing the battle with cancer.
A former footballer, Ihusaan was locally revered during his career as a football coach. He played a leading role in launching the Football Association of Maldives (FAM) Youth Development Programme.
Ihusaan, who worked for the national football team, was a senior member of the coaching team that won the country’s first international trophy. He was the assistant coach of the SAFF Championship winning team in 2008.
He later led Club Eagles to success in the domestic league before serving as the Chairman of the Maldives Sports Corporation.
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu had described Ihusaan’s passing as a profound loss to the football and sports family of the country.