BD grouped with Malaysia
Bangladesh's footballers will get a chance to redeem themselves after a disappointing show at the SAFF Championship when they Bangabandhu Gold Cup begins next month.
Last year's finalists, Bangladesh have been placed alongside holders Malaysia and South Asian opponents Nepal and Sri Lanka in Group A.
Whereas, Bahrain, Maldives Cambodia and Bangladesh U23 have been placed in Group B. The opening match will take place at the Shamsul Huda Stadium in Jessore between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka on January 8. Jessore will host four more matches after which the teams will shift to the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka.
The eight-team tournament is scheduled to end on January 20. The groupings were disclosed at a city hotel yesterday.
Like the previous edition, Malaysia and Bahrain will not be sending their main teams for the tournament. Malaysia will be sending a team under the banner Malaysia XI whereas Bahrain will send in a team entitled 'Bahrain football team'. The age-group and the level of both these teams are still not certain.
Bangladesh Football Federation president Kazi Salahuddin was confident that the national football team would be able to bounce back after the SAFF debacle.
“We are pleased to hold this tournament again and I want to thank the Prime Minister for her assistance. It will be a challenge for the national team to comeback after the SAFF Cup, but I am sure they are up for it,” said Salahuddin.
Finance minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, the chairman of the organising committee of the Cup, revealed that the groups were settled during the AFC Award Night in Delhi in November, in which representatives of all the participating nations were present.
“We hope that country will get into a festive mood in the course of the tournament. It doesn't matter as to who wins or who loses, what is necessary is to take the initiatives. There will come a time when you will get the result if you keep taking initiatives for the betterment of the game,” Muhith said at the event yesterday.
“ Bangabandhu Gold Cup will turn into one of the best football tournament in Asia by 2018,” added the finance minister.
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