Huge cash incentive for booters
Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) president Kazi Salahuddin yesterday declared huge incentive for the national team as the participating teams will start coming to the capital today to take part in the Bangabandhu Gold Cup, scheduled for January 15 to 25.
Defending champions Palestine as well as Mauritius are scheduled to arrive today while Sri Lanka and Burundi will come to Dhaka the following day. Seychelles, the fifth foreign team, are scheduled to land in Dhaka on Thursday, a day after the start of the sixth edition of the tournament. All six teams, including hosts Bangladesh, will stay at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel.
The Bangladesh players enjoyed a full day’s rest yesterday after four successive days of training. Salahuddin met the players at the team hotel to boost their morale where he declared a cash bonus of 100,000 dollars for winning the title and a bonus of 50,000 dollars in case of a runners-up finish.
Bangladesh’s best result to date in this tournament was a runners-up finish in the third edition in 2015 when they lost 3-2 against Malaysia under-23 side in the final. The hosts were eliminated from the semifinal stage in the last two editions, held in 2016 and 2018.
“The federation can provide good facilities such as good hotel, good transport, good coach but they can’t perform on the pitch. The players must perform on the pitch to achieve something,” Salahuddin told the players in his speech.
“I think every player is highly motivated when they represent the nation. What I have understood after talking to the players is that they are motivated ahead of the year’s first international tournament, which is being held to celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” Salahuddin told reporters after the discussion.
The players are also motivated after talking to the BFF president, who was accompanied by BFF vice-president Kazi Nabil Ahmed. Captain Jamal Bhuiyan told the BFF president that they would give their best effort to make it a memorable tournament.
“We are really inspired after the meeting with the BFF president. If we can do well, our success will encourage the next generation,” said defender Tapu Barman.
“It will certainly encourage the players who want to do well for themselves too because an achievement in the Bangabandhu Gold Cup will live long with the memory of the players,” said midfielder Mamunul Islam, who is still recovering from a muscle injury which he sustained during training at the Birshreshtha Shaeed Mostafa Kamal Stadium.
Mamunul informed that he may withdraw himself from the camp if he fails to get fit before the start of the tournament.
Meanwhile, centre-back Tutul Hossain Badsha left the camp yesterday with fever and was replaced by Manjurur Rahman Manik. Striker Nabib Newaz Jibon has also been all but ruled out due to illness.