Papon slams BFF for not sending team to Olympic qualifiers

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan Papon came down heavily on the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) for their failure to send Bangladesh Women's team to Myanmar.

The BFF pulled out of the 2024 AFC Women's Olympic Football Qualifying Tournament just six days before the start of the first round in Myanmar, citing financial constraints, which triggered widespread criticism in the country's sports fraternity.

Papon criticised the way BFF handled the issue and said: "There is nothing more shameful than that." 

"The most important thing is the women's team could not go there. Believe me, there are many who could have given the money. it's just a matter of Tk 20 lakh. I have not talked with my players [regarding this issue] but I am sure they would not hesitate to give the money if they [BFF] had just asked for it. Someone [from the BFF] just needed to ask for it.

"It's very sad as they did all of these secretly, and the process they followed is very sad. I am very surprised as the amount is just equal to their per day expenditure," said Papon while he was talking to the media at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur after Bangladesh registered a seven-wicket win in their one-off Test against Ireland today.

The BCB boss also raised the question whether there was something else at play that might have denied the women footballers such an opportunity. 

"I think there is something else…I don't know…it's sad. Nothing can be more shameful than this for the country. We are talking about how our country is moving forward. We [Bangladesh] are moving forward economically and the world even acknowledges it. But we could not send our women's team for pre-Olympics matches for only Tk 20 lakh. This is why I don't want to talk about this topic," he added.

Meanwhile, BFF president Kazi Salahuddin had a different reason for the board's failure in this regard. 

"As it is the Olympic qualifiers, we have to bear expenses like airfare, accommodation, and conveyance, which is not required for some other tournaments. How can I send the team to Myanmar? We did not get a positive response after seeking financial support from the Bangladesh Olympic Association and Youth and Sports Ministry," BFF president Kazi Salahuddin told The Daily Star.