New coach for youths

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) yesterday decided to appoint former Barcelona youth team player Gonzalo Sanchez Moreno as a development coach for sixth months.

The 43-year-old Spanish coach will work with the players from the national Under-16 and Under-19 teams from October 15, as well as scout players across the country before working intensively with final 21 players.

"He had been in Barcelona Academy at age eight and his knowledge of youth academies is very strong," said BFF president Kazi Salahuddin after having a meeting with Moreno at the BFF House yesterday.

"I am not impressed with his coaching career. What interested me about him was what he had seen and done at the academy. It is a different experience, unlike a conventional coach. He had also been with some big names in the youth team and knows the procedure of youth development," Salahuddin explained as the reason behind Moreno's appointment.  

Moreno, who has a UEFA A license, has little coaching experience as he only worked with the Madagascar U-17 team and some club teams in Madagascar, but he played for Barcelona's academy team and Barcelona B. He started there when he was eight and he played until he was 20.

"Moreno will have 70 training sessions with the players of U-16 and U-19 and after those sessions, we can understand his calibre and our benefit, then we will decide which steps will be taken,” said the BFF boss, adding that the BFF is also working to appoint a coach for the Sylhet academy.