BFF unlikely to retain Jilani
2016 SAFF U-16 Championship winning coach Syed Golam Jilani is all but set to part ways with the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) after a 13-year tenure following his punishment after commenting on a fixed match in the Dhaka Metropolis Senior Division Football League last year.
The game's governing body will sit with coaches next week before renewing their contracts, but Jilani's name does not appear in the shortlist.
The AFC-A licensed coach commented that a match between Dhaka United SC and Friends Social Welfare Organisation -- where he was the football secretary -- was not fixed, but after a committee found both teams guilty of playing a fixed match, the clubs were relegated to the Second Division Football League and Jilani was handed a six-month ban that ended last November.
Of the paid coaches, Jilani is believed to be among the more experienced ones and he has produced a number of good footballers from the grassroots level over the past few years. Unfortunately, his contract is perhaps not going to be renewed 'only for his comments on the fixed match, not for any direct involvement'.
"We have yet to take the final decision but the technical department [headed by technical and strategic director Paul Smalley] has decided not to include him following his punishment after making comments on the fixed match," said BFF general secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag.
It was also learned that the BFF has not involved Jilani out of fear of possible repercussions from the AFC. When contacted, Jilani refused to make any comments about the renewal of his agreement, which ended in December.
Jilani started his journey with the BFF in 2005 and worked as the assistant coach of the national football team and guided a few age-group teams before getting success in the SAFF U-16 Boy's Championship in Sylhet in 2016.
Meanwhile, the BFF has included three new coaches -- AFC-B licensed coach Rashed Ahmed Pappu, AFC-C licensed coaches Abul Hossain and female coach Suinu Pru Marma -- while retaining 20 coaches in the shortlist.