Salahuddin sets sights on Asian level
Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) president Kazi Salahuddin said he wants the victorious SAFF champions to give 60 per cent more effort in their endeavour to challenge at the Asian level. He said this during a press briefing at the BFF House on Tuesday, the day after the women's team clinched their maiden SAFF title by beating Nepal 3-1 in the final in Kathmandu.
Salahuddin said he wants the players to forget about the past and look towards the future with more determination.
"Once they come, I'll tell them that they've done extremely well to emerge as champions but to forget that and look forward. You will have to work harder to move forward because the others will try to surpass you. You will get gifts and monetary rewards. But you will have to go back to work after a few days of rest. Or else you will remain as one-time wonders," Salahuddin told reporters, adding that he had expected the success to come one or two years later, but felt the team fully deserved the success.
"There are many matches in Asian level in coming days. We will arrange the money needed for these matches. The team will have to work 60 per cent harder in training. Our target now will be to catch up with the ASEAN teams, or else we will fall back," Salahuddin said.
Speaking about BFF's plans in making that transition from South Asia to the continental level, the head of local football's governing body said it partially depended on receiving fund from the government.
"We have already asked for an increased budget for men's and women's football to the sports ministry so that the teams can play international matches in all FIFA windows. Otherwise, we won't improve in FIFA ranking," Salahuddin said. "If we get the fund, we can go ahead with a specific calendar regarding which teams we would play against."
The BFF president also explained his reasoning behind not being in Kathmandu with the team for the final and his plan of skipping the reception at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Wednesday.
"I felt my presence there might put the girls under pressure to perform. As the president of SAFF, my duty was to hand over the trophy to the winning team, but I felt my team's wellbeing comes first before my responsibility as SAFF chief," Salahuddin said. "If I go to the airport, media might look for my comments which would deprive the team of the limelight they so much deserve. This is the moment for these girls. They deserve all the limelight. Let's focus on them tomorrow. Don't steal her [their] thunder."
The BFF boss hoped that this success will drive a wave of enthusiasm in women's football at the grassroots level. "There will definitely be an impact. When we called the parents of these players initially, they had very little earning. But due to football, those families now have TV sets, mobile phones, bank, balance, etc. The reception that BFF and the sports ministry will accord tomorrow [Wednesday] will get more girls and more families interested in football."