JFA Cup set to be back
Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has decided to reintroduce the JFA (Japan Football Association) U-15 Cup in November after failing to organise the age-group tournament for the last two seasons.
The fourth edition of the JFA Cup, funded by the Japan Football Association, ended in early 2008 when the Asian giants had provided 25,000 US dollars to hold the fifth edition of the meet, but the BFF spent the amount in development sectors such as holding the U-14 and U-16 football camps instead.
The game's local governing body then sought further allotment from the JFA, who refused to provide any additional fund, saying that they had already provided fund for the tournament.
A representative of the JFA has also visited Bangladesh to look into the matter and the BFF has yet to get any response from the JFA.
BFF development committee's decision on Sunday to bring back the JFA Cup is apparently a move to regain the faith of the JFA, who, however, did not give any assurance to the BFF that they would again provide the fund if the BFF resumed the U-15 football tournament across the country.
Another reason behind bringing back the JFA Cup is to scout players for the AFC U-16 football meet, scheduled for next year.
In 2008, a total of 59 district teams along with the BKSP took part in the fourth edition of the nationwide regular junior football meet.
The meeting also decided to hold the U-18 trials across the country in September after the Eid vacation and then stage a final camp with around 70 under-18 booters in Dhaka in a bid to build a team for the next year's AFC U-19 meet.
The development committee meeting, presided over Kazi Nabil Ahmed, also decided to sent a U-17 team to Delhi to take part in the Shuvroto Mukharjee Cup football tournament to be held from November 10 to December 2.
The tournament's organising committee also invited BFF U-14 team in the same tournament and the BFF decided to send the invitation to BKSP, the country's lone educational institute that takes part in the tournament on a regular basis.
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