SAFF title a distant reality as Bangladesh host Nepal

The mood that gripped the Bangladesh women's football team the last time they played an international football match is a far cry from the one that currently pervades in the team.

A confident Bangladesh team, having beaten South Asian powerhouse India in group stages, had taken on Nepal in the final of the SAFF Championship on September 19 in Kathmandu. The charges of Golam Rabbani Choton had then romped their way to the first title in the region with a comprehensive 3-1 win, setting off a nation-wide celebration.

Close to 10 months from that day, Bangladesh will meet Nepal again today – first of two matches of a FIFA friendly series in Dhaka, but there is hardly any excitement within the team, instead there is palpable sadness in the team as well as fear.

The team that led Bangladesh to their historic first SAFF title has been decimated by the departure of two key players – striker Sirat Jahan Swapna and centre-back Akhi Khatun as a consequence of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) failing to arrange a single international match for them and failing to meet their demands for a franchise league and salary raise.

Anuching Mogini, another defender, was also earlier dispelled from the camp over poor performance while Shamsunnahar Jr and Sajeda Akter -- two other members of that squad -- are out of reckoning due to sickness.

The biggest drawback for the team, though, is that they will be playing without their long-time head coach Golam Rabbani Choton who recently resigned from the BFF job. In his absence and with technical director Paul Smalley not involving himself over 'negotiation of contract', the team is morally down and face a real challenge against the team from the Himalayas, whom they had beaten only that one time in nine matches, losing six times and drawing on two other occasions.

Understandably, the pre-match press conference over the two FIFA friendly matches -- the first off which will kick off at 5:30pm today at the Birshreshtha Shaheed Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur -- concentrated more on the team environment and its weaknesses rather than its strengths.

Mahbubur Rahman Litu, a long-term understudy of Choton, has been handed the responsibility to guide the team as the BFF looks for a new foreign coach.

"Every family goes through troubled times. We have also gone through a crisis, but I wanted to stitch the whole team together. Myself and the players have all been hungry for this match," Litu said, trying to put a positive spin on things.

"The team at SAFF Championship was a complete one, but we will try to do our best despite the absentees," Litu added.

Captain Sabina Khatun said they will accept the reality that Choton, whom she said was like a family member, is no longer with them.

However, she felt the long gap in match practice might have an impact on performance.

"There is an obvious difference between being in training and playing matches. We would probably see some difference in performance after the first match," Sabina said.

While Bangladesh team lamenting over the absentees, the Nepal team, which played four competitive matches since the SAFF Championship, will have two of their best players – Sabitra Bhandari and Preeti Rai, both of whom missed the SAFF final through injury and sickness.

One positive for the home team is that they will be staying at a five-star hotel in Dhaka for the first time, in an attempt from the federation to cheer them up. The BFF has also made entry for spectators into the stadium free to make sure the home team receive maximum support.