SWAT team to be deployed for Bangladesh-Singapore match

Following crowd disturbances during the friendly match between Bangladesh and Bhutan on June 4, the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) is taking steps to tighten security for the upcoming Asian Cup qualifier against Singapore, scheduled for June 10 at the National Stadium in Dhaka.

During the Bhutan match, chaos broke out as fans forced their way into the stadium by breaking gates, and three spectators even breached security to enter the pitch. In response, BFF is stepping up its safety measures to avoid similar incidents, especially with disciplinary consequences potentially looming from the match commissioner's report.

To ensure robust security, the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit of the Bangladesh Police will conduct a drill at the national stadium on Monday (June 9) and will also be deployed on match day. Golam Gaus, chairman of the BFF competition committee, stated, "Today, we inspected the stadium and entry gates along with the match commissioner. SWAT will conduct a full drill at 11am tomorrow. We are also maintaining constant coordination with the Dhaka Metropolitan Police."

With heightened attention from officials, BFF is reinforcing manpower and logistical arrangements. "Compared to the Bhutan match, we'll deploy more personnel for the Singapore match," added Gaus.

Both teams will hold training sessions at the match venue tomorrow evening following pre-match press conference in the afternoon. 

Both Bangladesh and Singapore started their AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers campaign with goalless draws – Bangladesh against India and Singapore against Hong Kong.