No Eid vacation for football players
Dhaka, August 08: The footballers, who are undergoing training in
the national camps of Saff Championship, will not be able to celebrate the holy
Eid-ul-Fitr thoroughly as they were not granted any leave for the festival.
The national booters will enjoy a break on Eid
day, but they will be back in full swing practice the next day. Pakistan will
be arriving at the capital on August 12 and will face the national team in a
practice match on August 16. However, Pakistan will play another practice
match against BFF XI on August 13, just a day after their arrival. The
Pakistani national side will stay at Hotel Purbani, adjacent to Bangabandhu
National Stadium.
Meanwhile, national head coach Lodewijk de
Kruif is scheduled to return to Dhaka on
August 12 after spending a week long vacation. Kruif left for Holland
from Thailand where Bangladesh
national team spent eight days for a conditioning camp.
During the absence of Kruif, assistant coach
Rene Koster conducted the camp. Koster said de Kruif is expected to return with
a specialised goalkeeping coach who has worked in the Ajax Amsterdam
Football Academy.
Captain Mamunul Islam said the players are
fully concentrating on their jobs, but will miss their family during the Eid. “We
are professional players and we know we have a big task ahead. For the sake of
the bigger commitments we are focused on our job, but it will be a lie to say
that we won’t miss our near and dear ones during the Eid,” said the midfielder.