‘Decision to award the title jointly was a fair one’

Following the dramatic and confusing final of the SAFF U-19 Championship Women's Championship on Thursday night, where both Bangladesh and India were declared joint winners, India coach Shukla Dutta told Indian media that they deserved the title and were robbed. Speaking to The Daily Star's Anisur Rahman on Friday, Bangladesh coach Saiful Bari Titu refuted Dutta's assertion as he felt the decision was a fair one and one taken according to the book. Following are the excerpts of the interview:

The Daily Star (DS): How do you evaluate what happened in the final and your reaction to the India coach saying they were robbed of the trophy?

Saiful Bari Titu (SBT): I don't know whether someone was forced to concede defeat. We can also say the same thing. Actually we were getting ready to resume the game in accordance to the bylaws. I had such experience for Sheikh Russel which lasted for 16-17 kicks in penalty shootout during a domestic competition. It will not be wise for someone to say they have been forced to concede defeat. The announcement of joint champions is justified even though India played better than us in the final. Even beyond the bylaws, the decision to announce joint champions is justified because both teams performed well throughout the tournament.

DS: Is it because of Match Commissioners…

SBT: We can say anything about the bylaws, but a match commissioner must know that the toss happens when the situation is hostile and there is unplayable condition. Before the final, the match commissioner should have done homework. If he knew, the shootout continued. A mistake can happen, but it happened in a final which is a big event.

DS: Was there anything your coaching staff or officials could have done when the toss was taking place?

SBT: After the completion of 11 shots each, I was talking to the goalkeeper and the toss happened quickly with our captain having no idea about it. The captain thought the toss was taking place to decide the resumption of the shootout. The most important thing is that he (the match commissioner) must know the bylaws of the tournament. He should call either the coach or the manager to inform his decision (of flipping the toss) but he did not do that. We noticed the issue only when the India players ran towards their dugout to celebrate.

DS: Had the toss favoured your team, do you think the reaction would have been different from India?

SBT: Had we started celebrating after winning the toss, I'm sure India would also checked the bylaws and raised the toss issue.

DS: How different is the feeling pf winning the title on your own and sharing it with another team?

SBT: It is a different honour to become sole champions but becoming joint champions is also good for the girls, who could have got hurt had they lost the final. Recognition is always big for players, especially when it comes from the top of the country. The girls were very happy as they came to the hotel celebrating the title from the stadium.