‘Play till 32 and then do whatever you want to’

Praising the performance of both the young and the experienced footballers in the just-concluded SAFF Championship, Bangladesh Football Federation's president Kazi Salahuddin urged everyone to stay disciplined in the next three to four months in a bid to overcome the first round hurdle of World Cup Qualifiers in October.

Bangladesh put on an improved show in the regional football championship to reach the semifinals for the first time in 14 years, but another uphill task awaits them in the form of World Cup Qualifiers. The men in red and green will face a higher-ranked opponent from among nine teams: Indonesia, Chinese Taipei, Maldives, Yemen, Afghanistan, Singapore, Myanmar, Nepal, Cambodia -- in home-and-away basis matches, scheduled for October 12 and 17.

Recalling the experience of the 2016 defeat against lowly Bhutan during the same stage of World Cup Qualifiers, in the same month of October, Salahuddin reminded the players of the consequence if Bangladesh fail to overcome the first round hurdle.

"I have a small message to all of you for which is why I have called you here," Salahuddin told players at a programme to hand over a promised Tk 50 lac bonus at the BFF house yesterday.

"In October, we have matches of World Cup and Asian Cup [Qualifiers]. If we lose the matches, we will be out for the next three years. We need to win the matches so that our calendar in next three years remains packed. This is very important [for us]," said the BFF boss.

"For the next three to four months, I want absolute determination from you. Your football career is small, so you have to be absolutely disciplined; no late night, no alcohol and training is a must," Salahuddin said. "You can get all those things when you are 32 or 33 and when there will be nothing to do or nothing to play for. You can do everything."

Citing examples of Cristiano Rolando and basketball legend Michael Jordan, Salahuddin said, "No player is born with talent. Every player may have talent, but he has to work hard. [Sheikh] Morsalin, [Faisal Ahmed] Fahim, Isa [Faisal] -- you have a lot of time and now it is time for training and training. Play till 32 and then do anything you want to do."

The BFF boss praised other players as well including some seniors.

"{Anisur Rahman) Zico has become the best goalkeeper of the tournament and we take a lot of pride in that. There were some new players of whom left-back Isa played magnificently; the two central defenders – Tapu (Barman) and Tariq (Kazi) too. Tariq had wonderful tournament even though he made a mistake, which may happen in football but he covered up for it later.

"Senior Sohel Rana and Sohel Rana of Abahani did wonderfully well. And the younger players like Fahim, Morsalin and Ridoy are the future of Bangladesh football. I am pleased with their performance. We have a superstar in Rakib. He is now the best forward of Bangladesh," praised the legendary footballer.

"If you [Rakib] train properly and maintain discipline and take care of yourself, you can be the best player of South Asia of all time. You have the talent and speed; what you need to improve upon is the position sense, and you can talk to the coach about it," said the former Bangladesh international.

"This is time for you to do your job and I hope you will be very serious about it. If you do your job properly and play well, money will fly in," the BFF boss concluded.