Maldives’ champion team Maziya Sports and Recreation Club has begun training under the guidance of their newly appointed coach, Luisma Hernández from Spain.

Maziya officially signed an agreement to appoint the club’s new coach, on 14 January 2025. A special ceremony was held at the Galolhu National Stadium to welcome him.

Before Hernández, the position of Maziya's coach was held by Serbia's Dragan Dukanovic, 54. Dukanovic took over as Maziya's coach in August 2024. Upon the expiration of the agreement made with him, Maziya has appointed Hernández as the team's new coach.

Hernández, 52, has previously worked on some projects with two of Spain’s football giants, Barcelona and Real Madrid. Most recently, Hernández was involved with a second division club in Lithuania. Before that, he had also gained experience with clubs in Uzbekistan and Kuwait. Hernández is a UEFA Pro-licensed coach with extensive experience in the football world.

Maziya officially commenced their training sessions on Wednesday evening. As Maziya begins training under the guidance of Hernández, the first competition the team will play under his direction will be the President's Cup football tournament slated for February. Before that, there will be a match to open the season.

Hernández is the seventh foreign coach to guide Maziya.

The Football Association of Maldives (FAM) has since decided to kick off the Dhivehi Premier League (DPL) on 8 April 2025. In the initial draft prepared by FAM, the football season was set to begin this January. However, after consultation with the clubs, FAM has decided to start the season in February.