British coach Peter Butler conducted a training session with 13 footballers at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Saturday morning, with 18 others declining to train under the SAFF Championship winning tactician.

This is the first time since SAFF winning campaign in October last year that a section of the national team, mostly juniors, trained under Butler, although majority of the players including most seniors refrained to join owing to their disapproval of the coach.

The players who trained on Saturday are: Afeida Khandaker, Shaheda Akhtar Ripa, Kohati Kisku, Munki Khatun, Sapna Rani, Surma Akter, Irene Parvin, Akalima Khatun, Surovi Akanda Prity, Zainab Begum, Arpita Bishwas, Halima Khatun and Yearzan Begum. 

Some of the aforementioned names are from the senior team that won the SAFF Championship while the rest are juniors.

Butler had called up 31 players for the camp but Anai Mogini had stayed back in her hometown following an extended vacation, due to personal issues. Zainab Begum, meanwhile, out of the original 31, joined today.

The squad had refused to train under Butler on the first day of training on January 30, demanding removal of Butler as coach. The seniors, led by captain Sabina Khatun, had delivered a letter to BFF president Tabith Awal on the previous day, and then came before media on Thursday to relay their reasonings behind boycotting training under Butler.

BFF, in the wake of the boycott, formed a seven-member committee to investigate the issue, but its high-ups have so far shown a strict attitude towards what they believe this boycott to be "taking football as hostage."

Meanwhile, this was also the first time in close to four years that any footballing activity was conducted at the Bangabandhu National Stadium, which has been going through a long and winding renovation. The National Sports Council, owner of the venue and the renovators too, are yet to hand over the facility to Bangladesh Football Federation for use.