2008 SAFF Championship

The 2008 SAFF Championship was held in Malé, Maldives and Colombo, Sri Lanka between 3 and 14 June 2008.

2008 SAFF Championship

Tournament details
Host countries	Maldives Sri Lanka
Dates	3–14 June
Venue(s)	2 (in 2 host cities)
Final positions
Champions	Maldives (1st title)
Runners-up	India
Tournament statistics
Matches played	15
Goals scored	43 (2.87 per match)
Top scorer(s)	H. A. Habib (4 goals)[1]
Best player(s)	Ali Ashfaq
← 2005 2009 → All statistics correct as of 30 March 2019.

Initially, the tournament was due to be held in 2007 but was postponed to 2008.

Venues

Stadiums
Colombo	Malé
Sugathadasa Stadium	Rasmee Dhandu Stadium
Capacity:25,000[2]	Capacity:11,850[3]
Host city of Sri Lanka	Host city of Maldives
Colombo	Malé

Squads

Main article: 2008 SAFF Championship squads

Group stage

Group A

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
India	3	3	0	0	7	1	+6	9
Maldives	3	2	0	1	7	2	+5	6
Nepal	3	1	0	2	5	9	−4	3
Pakistan	3	0	0	3	2	9	−7	0

Source: RSSSF

3 June 2008

16:00

India	4–0	Nepal
Pradeep 26' Bhutia 34' Chhetri 67' S. K. Singh 83'	Report Report

Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé

---

3 June 2008

21:00

Maldives	3–0	Pakistan
Shifan 45+2' Thoriq 47' Akram 90+' (o.g.)	Report

Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé

Attendance: 15,000

---

5 June 2008

16:00

India	2–1	Pakistan
Pradeep 25' Dias 45+1'	Report Report	Adnan Ahmed 88'

Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé

---

5 June 2008

21:00

Maldives	4–1	Nepal
Mohamed 9', 46' Fazeel 50', 62'	Report	Gouchan 10'

Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé

Attendance: 8,000

---

7 June 2008

16:00

Pakistan	1–4	Nepal
Ishaq 52'	Report Report	Tamang 3' Rayamajhi 5' Rai 67', 86'

Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé

---

7 June 2008

21:00

Maldives	0–1	India
	Report	Singh 14'

Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé

Attendance: 10,000

Group B

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Sri Lanka	3	2	1	0	5	2	+3	7
Bhutan	3	1	1	1	4	4	0	4
Bangladesh	3	0	2	1	3	4	−1	2
Afghanistan	3	0	2	1	5	7	−2	2

Source: RSSSF

4 June 2008

16:30

Bangladesh	1–1	Bhutan
Baidya 27'	Report	Sangay 79'

Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombo

---

4 June 2008

19:00

Sri Lanka	2–2	Afghanistan
Gunarathna 8' Ediri 75' (pen.)	Report	H. A. Habib 8', 49'

Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombo

---

6 June 2008

16:30

Bangladesh	2–2	Afghanistan
Ameli 51' (pen.) Mamunul 75'	Report	H. A. Habib 9' Hadid 22'[4]

Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombo

---

6 June 2008

19:00

Sri Lanka	2–0	Bhutan
Gunarathna 25', 37'	Report

Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombo

---

8 June 2008

17:00

Afghanistan	1–3	Bhutan
H. A. Habib 88'	Report	Dorji 13' Gyeltshen 31', 80'

Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombo

---

8 June 2008

19:30

Sri Lanka	1–0	Bangladesh
Mohideen 71'	Report

Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombo

Knockout phase

Bracket

	Semi-finals				Final
	11 Jun – Malé
	India	2
					14 Jun – Colombo
	Bhutan	1
					India	0
	11 Jun – Colombo
					Maldives	1
	Maldives	1
	Sri Lanka	0

Semi-finals

11 June 2008

16:00

India	2–1 (a.e.t.)	Bhutan
Chhetri 30' Gouramangi 120'	Report Report	Dorji 18'

Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé

Attendance: 12,000

---

11 June 2008

19:00

Sri Lanka	0–1	Maldives
	Report	Fazeel 70'

Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombo

Attendance: 12,000

Final

14 June 2008

19:00

India	0–1	Maldives
	Report	Naseer 87'

Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombo

Attendance: ~20,000

Champion

SAFF Championship 2008
Maldives First title

Statistics

Goalscorers

4 goals

• H. A. Habib

3 goals

• Ibrahim Fazeel^[1]
• Chathura Gunarathna

2 goals

• Ju Manu Rai
• Yeshey Gyeltshen
• Ismail Mohamed
• Pappachen Pradeep
• Sunil Chhetri
• Gouramangi Singh

1 goal

• Ahmed Thoriq
• Nima Sangay
• Kinley Dorji
• Yeshey Dorji
• Mukhthar Naseer
• Mustafa Hadid
• Raju Tamang
• Nirajan Rayamajhi
• Vishad Gouchan
• Steven Dias
• Bhaichung Bhutia
• Sushil Kumar Singh
• Mohamed Shifan
• Arup Kumar Baidya
• Jahid Hasan Ameli
• Mamunul Islam Mamun
• Adnan Ahmed
• Samar Ishaq
• Channa Ediri Bandanage

1 own goal

• Naveed Akram

Other statistics

• Most goals scored by: Maldives and India (9 goals)
• Fewest goals scored by: Pakistan (2 goals)
• Most goals conceded by: Nepal and Pakistan (9 goals)
• Fewest goals conceded by: Maldives (2 goals)
• Fastest goal by: Raju Tamang for Nepal against Pakistan ( 3')