Hail the champions

The nation salutes the Bangladesh football team for lifting the title of the third South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship yesterday.

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia congratulate the victorious Bangladesh team immediately after they beat Maldives 5-3 in tiebreaker.

In a message, the prime minister thanked the players, coach and officials for bringing glory for the country. She hoped that this success would inspire other sports to bring laurels for the success starved country.

Leader of the Opposition and Awami League president Sheikh Hasina also felicitated the charges of Geroge Kottan for beating Maldives in the final.

Hasina, who was attending a function of diplomats at Sonargaon Hotel, offered sweets among the attending guests as soon as Bangladesh clinched the SAFF Champions trophy for the first time.

She said that it was a continuation of Bangladesh's success in the regional football that began with the gold in the SAF Games in Nepal four years back.

State Minister for Youth and Sports Fazlur Rahman, his predecessor and Awami League joint-secretary Obaidul Quader also congratulated Bangladesh team.

Land Minister M Shamsul Islam, Textiles Minister Abdul Matin, Women and Children Affairs Minister Begum Khurshid Jahan Haque and State Minister for Textile Mizanur Rahman Sinha, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Bangladesh Awami League, Ministry of Youth and Sports, former mayor of Dhaka, Mohammad Hanif and many other social and sports organisations greeted the national team.