BFF in schedule conundrum
For quite sometime the apex body of country's football, the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), has been giving an increasingly irritating impression of a failed executor when it comes to sticking to a planned schedule.
The commencement date of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup, an invitational international tournament, has already become a jigsaw puzzle for many and yesterday the Professional Football League Committee (PFLC) extended the so called transfer window for the second time, putting the 2014-15 domestic calendar in serious jeopardy.
The PFLC led by BFF senior vice-president Abdus Salam Murshedy extended the players' transfer window for three weeks till January 31, reportedly in an effort to accommodate the six clubs who demanded more time to make their teams.
The transfer window was initially scheduled to end on December 11 so that the 2014-15 season could have started from December 17 with the Federation Cup. The Bangabandhu Gold Cup was next in line (From January 16-27) after the completion of the season's curtain-raiser.
But the frequent extension of the players' transfer, as well as the possible deferment of Bangabandhu Gold Cup, not only delayed the start of the season, but also opened the prospect of a curtailed domestic calendar, which includes the Federation Cup, the Bangladesh Premier League, the Independence Cup and the Super Cup.
And with a series of international engagements for both the clubs and national sides in line this year, it would be an uphill task for the BFF to organise all four annual domestic events, let alone stick to any planned schedule.
According to the available roster, the AFC Cup play-off is in February, the AFC U-23 Championship Qualifiers in March, Indo-Bangla Bangladesh Games in March-April followed by the World Cup and Asian Cup Qualifiers (date yet to be decided)and the SAFF Championship in December.
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