BFF undecided over national team coach

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) yesterday approved the appointment of a fitness coach and extended contract with a goalkeeping coach to work on its various teams for a short-term.

John Whittle, an Englishman with experience of heading youth football department of AFC, was handed a contract for two months, effective from January, as the head of strength and conditioning of BFF while Ryan Sanford, a goalkeeping coach who has been working with the national team, has been handed an extension for three months.

The decisions were approved at an emergency meeting of the executive committee of BFF after being proposed by the National Teams Committee (NTC). However, the meeting could not reach a decision over appointment of a head coach for the men's national team. NTC chairman Kazi Nabil Ahmed said they are working on bio-data of two to three foreign coaches.

“We have discussed about two-three coaches, all of whom are foreigners. We haven't reached a decision as yet, and we will sit again two days later. If we can reach a decision that day, we might be able to start the camp by 20 to 22 January,” Nabil said after the meeting.

It was learnt that there is division among the NTC over the head coach issue as one group, led by the deputy chairman Tabith Awal, want to bring back former coach Lodewijk De Kruif while the other group, led by Nabil, want to give the charge to recent league champions Abahani's Austrian coach George Kottan.

“There is a bright chance of appointing a coach who has worked for a club in the last domestic season,” said a committee member seeking anonymity.