Bangladesh were pitted in Group A alongside holders Malaysia Under-21 and Saff rivals Nepal and Sri Lanka in the draw ceremony of the upcoming Bangabandhu Gold Cup yesterday.
Bangladesh Olympics U-23 team meanwhile were placed in Group B along with Bahrain U-21, Maldives U-21 and Cambodia. The fourth edition of the eight-nation tournament is all set to kick off on January 8.
Earlier in the third edition of the competition, the Bangladesh senior side lost to Malaysia U-21 in both the group-stage and the grand finale. So the men in red and green will get the golden opportunity of making up for their heart-breaking 3-2 loss in the final when the two sides meet in what is expected to be a battle for top spot in Group A.
Bangladesh Football Federation president Kazi Salahuddin and Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, also the chairman of the tournament’s organising committee, were present in the draw ceremony along with officials from the youth and sports ministry, BFF and the sponsors.
Drawing attention to the recent failure by the national side in the ongoing Saff Suzuki Cup, Salahuddin apologised on behalf of the federation.
“It was sad that we exited the Saff championship in the early stage. We did not do well. I express my apology to the nation,” the BFF supremo said before adding, “It is a great pleasure to host the Bangabandhu Gold Cup in consecutive years.”
Salahuddin though tried to lift the mood in the draw ceremony when he praised the successes of the junior footballers in the age-level tournaments this year.
“We built an academy which appeared to work well and gave us success in 2015. Our U-16 team won the Saff championship, U-14 girls clinched the AFC regional championship (south and central zone) and the U-19 team also did well. Our future is bright,” said Salahuddin.
The BFF chief added that the country’s football will reap the benefits of the academy in about four years’ time.
“The academy is temporarily closed due to refurbishment work. The Fifa officials visited the academy and gave us some advice after a survey. They think the local coaches are not good enough for the academy, and for the future as well. They advised us to go with proper professional coaches and staffs to run the academy. We need financial assistance from local organisations in order to hire foreign coaches of the highest calibre. We can give you the output in four years,” explained the BFF boss.
Abdul Muhith on the other hand believes the Bangabandhu Gold Cup will be the best tournament in Asia within three years. “It will become the biggest tournament in Asia within 2018. Our standard in football will automatically improve. We will also get success from the academy and eventually spread the game across the country,” hoped the Finance Minister.
Meanwhile, the Sylhet District Stadium, which was originally scheduled to host the inaugural ceremony along with several tournament matches, will no longer be considered as an event venue. Jessore will now replace Sylhet as the competition venue with the latter preparing for the forthcoming ICC U-19 World Cup. Jessore’s Shamsul Huda Stadium will host four matches, including a semi-final.
- Source: Dhaka Tribune
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