Dhaka, January 20: Bangladesh Football Federation president Kazi Mohammad Salahuddin held a reception for Bangladesh U16 girls’ team and the U14 boys’ team on January 20.
The U16 girls’ team also forms the core of the national women’s side with eight girls in the playing eleven. The recent success at the SAFF championship where Bangladesh women were runners up is also mostly credited to these fine young women.
Bangladesh was unbeaten in that campaign until the final match against reigning champions India, having once held them to a goalless draw.
The women’s team has also managed to get through the AFC qualifiers to play in the final rounds. That means this batch of girls is among the top eight teams of Asia.
The boys, on the other hand, have come home from Malaysia having won the plate round of the Super Mokh Cup.
A former Bangladesh captain, Salahuddin said such performance was indeed commendable and thought it would be a fitting gesture to invite them to his home. “This could have been done as easily in a restaurant. But I wanted to have them in my house with my family.”
A former football sensation of Bangladesh, Salahuddin said he thought it was important for these youngsters to feel that they were appreciated. “They should know that we are watching out for them.”
Having been president of Bangladesh’s top football authority, Salahuddin has recently launched a new football development plan that will build on the groundwork of the last eight years since 2008 when phases 1 and 2 were implemented.
The newly launched phase 3 will see Bangladesh football through 2020 and beyond. This new phase has a vision towards elite player development at all the age levels leading to a better national side.
Besides the two teams and their coaching staff, the reception also saw BFF dignitaries, officials, board members and executives at the grand lunch on the sprawling lawn of the Salahuddin residence in Gulshan.
< Prev | Next > |
---|