Four footballers to leave for Brazil

Four budding footballers are set to leave for Brazil in the early hours of Wednesday for a month-long training at a Brazil football academy, confirmed team coordinator and former national footballer Khondokar Rakibul Islam.

The four footballers are midfielder Umor Faruq, forward Jogen Larka, midfielder Lotifur Rahman and defender Nazmul Hossain Akondo, who have been picked from last year’s inaugural Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman U-17 Gold Cup football tournament.

The four footballers were supposed to have a one-year training in Brazil as part of that initiative, but a FIFA law put bar on those footballers due to their under-age status.

“There is a barrier from FIFA that a footballer, who is under-18, can’t train abroad, so we have managed for a one-month training at Gama Sports Club in Brazil,” selector and former national footballer Sheikh Mohammad Aslam said.

“After the training, a delegation from Brazil will come here to assess what type of facilities we need and they will suggest us for the next course of action” said coordinator Rakibul.

“All the four footballers are from needy families. One of them, named Nazmul, had worked at a brick kiln and his father is riskshawpuller. Lakra is an indigenous boy. Father of father of Mithu is labourer while Lotifur’s father is a small trader,” informed Rakibul, who will accompany the boys along with local coach Abdur Razzak.