Canary Wharf Pick Players to Travel to England

The local footballers under Canary Wharf's youth development programme will be given a great opportunity to travel to England next year for a month-long advanced training.

Canary Wharf, a British-based group which sponsors the four-year football development programme in Bangladesh, promised to send at least 15 players out of the 34-member camp to London's David Beckham Academy in May next year.

"We will take the players to England for four weeks in May, 2008. They will also receive advanced training at Arsenal and West Ham's academies. We have been trying to take all 34 players but so far, we have ensured at least 15 players will go," said Zakir Khan, community affairs manager of Canary Wharf yesterday. He was talking to reporters at the BKSP, where British aviation minister Jim Fitzpatrick, MP, went to visit the 18-month-old youth camp.

Fitzpatrick, on a personal visit to Bangladesh, enjoyed a superb day out and also scored the lone goal - a spectacular headed effort by the 55-year-old - for the Canary Wharf trainees in an exhibition match against veteran footballers featuring the likes of Aslam, Sabbir and Kaiser Hamid. The ex-booters won the match 3-1 with Imtiaz Sultan Johnny, Imtiaz Ahmed Nakib and Jamal scoring one goal apiece.

"Canary Wharf has been working for the development of Tower Hamlets in east London. I hope it will be able to make a great contribution in development of football here. We will help it as far as we can," said the Labour Party MP. Canary Wharf's strategic advisor Howard Dawver said that the organisation has been considering prospects of building a football academy in Bangladesh. "Nothing has been finalised about the academy yet. But we will talk with Emirates and Clifton Group about it," he said.

It was learned that the Canary Wharf officials will visit the United Arab Emirates on their way back to England to talk with their Emirates counterparts. Clifton group is a British-based group owned by Bangladeshi expatriates.

Chief coach of the camp Golam Sarwar Tipu, meanwhile, was optimistic about the future of his students. "They have made significant improvements. I believe that they will be competitive enough to win places in our age-group teams," said Tipu who feels the need of an academy for training purpose as all residential camps depend on the availability of space at the BKSP, country's lone sports institute at Savar.

Local coordinator Fazlur Rahman Babul, Bangladesh Football Federation vice-president Monir Ahmed were present in the daylong trip to Savar among others.

Bangladesh to Play AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers

Inaugural AFC Challenge Cup hosts Bangladesh will have to play in the qualifying rounds of the second edition of the event next year, the Bangladesh Football Federation confirmed on Wednesday.

Four qualifiers out of 16 contestants will join automatic choices Myanmar, DPR Korea, Turkmenistan and India in the final rounds to be played from July 30 to August 10, 2008. The 16 teams split into four groups - to be played at separate centralised venues - will vie for the qualifying spots between April 1 and May 15. Only the group winners will move ahead.

The hosts of the qualifiers and the finals will receive US dollars 20,000 per visiting team from the Asian Football Confederation while the touring side will also receive a similar amount as travel allowances. The AFC has yet to confirm qualifying and finals venues after Taiwan's disqualification for lack of facilities.

British Minister in Dhaka

British Aviation Minister Jim Fitzpatrick, MP, arrived in Dhaka yesterday on a six-day personal visit to promote a youth football development programme.

Fitzpatrick has arrived at the invitation of Canary Wharf UK, a British-based group, which sponsors a four-year youth football development programme.

He will visit BKSP today to look at the coaching camp - where 34 players are undergoing training of the third session of the second year. He is also expected to hold discussions with the country's football bosses and BKSP officials on building a proposed football academy.

The British minister will then depart for a three-day trip to Sylhet, home to the largest British-Bangladeshi expatriate community in Bangladesh.

Sultan Right or Wrong?

Nine days after SA Sultan's reported resignation as the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) president, football's governing body in the country remained in total darkness about the incident.

Questions have already been raised whether Sultan had done the right thing by tendering his resignation to FIFA president Sepp Blatter or not.

Sultan sent his resignation to Blatter on December 15 and copies to National Sports Council chairman General Moeen U Ahmed and AFC president Mohammad bin Hammam on the same day.

Although the BFF officials have kept mum on the issue, stating they have yet to know the 'truth', a vice-president yesterday asked about its legitimacy.

"If it has been done, it was the right way. Any member of the BFF let alone the president should tender resignations to the BFF executive committee only," said senior vice-president Monir Ahmed.

"In fact we have no document to support the fact and no date has been set for a meeting yet," he added.

The BFF has not announced when its adjourned meeting of December 15, cancelled due to Sultan's so-called 'illness', would resume.

The saga, meanwhile, is expected to continue. The post-Eid speculations are that a few more BFF members would step down soon.

A press report yesterday claimed that 'FIFA has rejected Sultan's resignation as it has no jurisdiction over this'. The report added that a faxed message has already arrived at the BFF regarding this.

A BOA (Bangladesh Olympic Association) high up confirmed that the BFF has indeed received a FIFA letter which has clearly said that the president must tender his resignation to the executive body of the federation.

If the FIFA's refusal is confirmed, Sultan must come out of hibernation and if he really meant to resign, he should do the 'job' properly.

The controversies surrounding the issue could well be settled before the New Year with BFF expected to call the meeting by December 30.

Bangladesh National Home Football Jersey - To Buy

The UK based office of the company I got my Bangladesh national shirt from, have confirmed to me that they will start selling the Bangladesh National Home Jersey early in 2008. The home shirt will be exactly of the same design below complete with the BFF logo:

They confirmed to me that will not sell them for more than £20 plus P+P. Please email them on Tiger-Sports@hotmail.co.uk for inquiries and sales.

Footballers and Organisers Slam Sultan

Footballers and organisers yesterday said they were embarrassed about Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) president SA Sultan's abrasive remarks about Sports Adviser Tapan Chowdhury and the media.

"We never expected the chief of the football federation to attack the sports boss and media. We really feel ashamed for this as a part of the football fraternity," said former national football captain Badal Roy at a press briefing at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

Ex-BFF general secretary Harunur Rashid, organisers Fazlur Rahman Babul, Nurul Alam Chowdhury, Shawkat Ali Jahangir and footballer Kaiser Hamid also spoke on the occasion.

The speakers also claimed that Sultan provided false information about the success of BFF in his last week's letter to the National Sports Council chairman.

"We are really confused whether SA Sultan has resigned or not," Badal said.

SA Sultan tendered his resignation to FIFA president Sepp Blatter on December 15 and submitted copies to NSC chairman and Army Chief Moeen U Ahmed and AFC president Mohammad Bin Hammam.

"The BFF knows nothing about his stepping down. Who will take responsibility after the void created following the resignation?" Badal questioned.

"The BFF high-ups are not even admitting about Sultan's resignation but they must take over in absence of the president. If they decline to take responsibility, they don't deserve to stay there," he added.

"We feel that Sultan had been maintaining double standard when he sent a letter to FIFA asking its permission to hold the BFF election under the 2003 constitution; because at the same time, he did not stop procedures of the forming the DFAs (district and divisional football associations)," said Harunur Rashid.

"Now we demand the BFF to officially stop the procedure of forming the DFAs," he added.

Sultan, after his meeting with the non-BFF officials and ex-footballers, had sent the letter to FIFA mentioning the difficulties of forming DFAs within the deadline given by the football's world governing body to BFF.

"We will go for tough movement if the BFF does not stop the process of forming the DFAs," Harun warned.

Eid Mubarak!

Just wanted to say Eid Mubarak to all BanglaFootball.net readers and passers-by. Have a good one, and remember to stay safe!

BFF Chief Sultan Resigns

The rumour surrounding Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) president SA Sultan's resignation materialised as a document supporting the fact was available yesterday.

Sultan has sent his resignation letter to FIFA president Sepp Blatter on December 15, stating: "I hereby resign from the post of president of the Bangladesh Football Federation due to unavoidable circumstances and personal reasons. Kindly accept my resignation."

It was learnt that Sultan had also given a copy of the resignation letter to National Sports Council chairman and Army Chief General Moeen U Ahmed on Saturday when the BFF chief met the latter to hand over the money earned from the charity matches for cyclone affected people of the country.

However Sultan could not be reached for his comments. The BFF officials including acting general secretary Manzoor Hossain Malu were also in total darkness about the resignation.

Sultan and the executive committee, whose tenure expired last April, were given a year's lifeline by FIFA to hold an election according to its new directives.

However, the EC's desire to keep aloof of the football fraternity and form the district and divisional football associations (DFAs) on its own were heavily criticised from different quarters.

Sports Adviser Tapan Chowdhury's dissatisfaction over the issue irked Sultan, who went on to publicly criticise the adviser last week.

In a last-gasp effort, Sultan had a meeting with the non-BFF organisers and footballers on December 12 before deciding to turn to FIFA and request its permission to allow the BFF to go for the polls according to the old constitution (2003).

The BFF had send a letter to the FIFA -- which enjoyed a virtual holiday till last Sunday as its top brass was busy for the World Club Cup in Tokyo -- but Sultan had to step down before getting answers as incidents moved faster than he could handle.

Sultan lodged official complaints against Tapan Chowdhury in a letter to the NSC chairman but as soon as the contents of the letter were published, his days, perhaps, were numbered.

It can be mentioned that when Sultan was selected president of the federation in 2001, he disbanded the elected body of the BFF to bring the wrath of FIFA, which banned the federation instantly.

Only when the elected executive committee was reinstated, the FIFA lifted the ban.

During his tenure as BFF president - the first to be elected - general secretaries Harunur Rashid and Anwarul Hoque Helal and vice-president Kazi Salahuddin resigned from the federation.

Media Seek Apology from BFF Chief

The three associations of sports journalists - Bangladesh Sports Journalists Association, Bangladesh Sports Writers Association and Bangladesh Sports Journalists and Writers Community - yesterday demanded Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) president SA Sultan's apology for trying to disgrace the media last week.

Sultan, in a letter to the National Sports Council (NSC) chairman and Chief of Army Staff General Moeen U Ahmed, claimed that 'the media cannot be controlled without exchange'. He also alleged that 'politically motivated media had launched a propaganda blitz against the BFF' in the written statement.

Speaking at a press conference at the NSC conference room yesterday afternoon, leading sports journalists condemned Sultan for his loose remarks about the media, which has always given vast coverage of football despite the game's decline under his rein.

"Sultan has a tendency of denying comments made by him but such a remark, which is on record, from the president of the football federation is unacceptable," said a written statement signed by the associations' officials.

"We still don't understand what he meant by saying that 'media cannot be controlled without exchange'. The comment marks the darkest hour of our football history," it added.

"He always claims to be a political person and often used his power being a member of the ruling party, including disbanding the BFF executive committee as soon as he was selected president," said a veteran journalist. "Now his attempt to brand media as 'politically motivated' is really in bad taste."

"The media cannot be controlled. Sultan must prove now whether he tried to control any sector of the media and how. He also must prove which statements by the press had been politically motivated. If he fails, he has to apologise to the media for his recklessness," demanded the journalists who also threatened to boycott all news concerning Sultan.

"We will announce him persona non gratta in sports if he does not seek unconditional request for forgiveness."

Kamalur Rahman, Manazrul Haque, Syed Mamun, Mosharraf Hossain, Sarwar Hossain, Aminul Haque Mullick and Mojibor Rahman, among others, spoke on the occasion.

All Club Pages Now Published

I have finally gotten around to creating a page for each club that competed in the B. League 2006-07. You can check them out here.

As you may notice, only Mohammedan Sporting Club have any type of history on their page, and the rest are rather empty. This is because I have no knowledge or information available to me, about these clubs. If you know anything or can point to any web resource with more information, then please contact me.

Rahamatganj MFS

B. League Standings

2006-07: 11th

Rahamatganj MFS News >>

Khulna Abahani KC

B. League Standings

2006-07: 9th

Khulna Abahani KC News >>

Farashganj SC

B. League Standings

2006-07: 8th

Farashganj SC News >>

Chittagong Mohammedan SC

B. League Standings

2006-07: 7th

Chittagong Mohammedan SC News >>

Chittagong Abahani Ltd

B. League Standings

2006-07: 10th

Chittagong Abahani Ltd News >>

Arambagh KS

B. League Standings

2006-07: 6th

Arambagh KS News >>

Rangamati Clinch Women's Football Title

Rangamati clinched the title of the second inter-district women's football competition beating hosts Dhaka by 2-0 goals in the final at the Dhanmondi Women's Sports Complex yesterday.

Rokhsana Parvin scored the first goal in the 11th minute (1-0) while Suinu Pru Marma doubled the margin in the 58th minute (2-0).

After the final, Suinu Pru Marma of champion Rangamati team received the player of the tournament award while her teammate Mina got the player of the final award. Sukhi of Narayanganj DSA, who scored nine goals, bagged the highest scorer award.

LGRD Adviser Anwarul Iqbal was present at the closing ceremony as chief guest and later distributed the prizes.

Women and Children Affairs secretary Rokeya Sultana and Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) vice president Rafia Akhter Doly were present as special guests.

The BFF Donates Tk 9 Lakh for Sidr Victims

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) President SA Sultan has handed over a cheque to National Sports Council chairman and Army Chief General Moeen U Ahmed.

The BFF donated a total of Tk 901,636 to the Chief Adviser's Relief Fund for the victims of Cyclone Sidr.

Malu, Lokman Hossain Bhuiyan of Mohammedan Sporting Club and Kazi Nabil Ahmed of Abahani were also present while the cheque was handed over to the NSC chairman.

The amount has been raised from the three matches between the country's two soccer giants Mohammedan and Abahani in the first week of this month at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

Mohammedan won the three-match charity series 2-1.

Women's Football Final Today

Rangamati will face hosts Dhaka in today's final of the Inter-district women's football tournament.

The final will kick off at 3pm at the Dhanmondi Women's Sports Complex.

LGRD Adviser Anwarul Haq will distribute prizes as chief guest.

Rangamati defeated their Hill Tracts neighbours Khagrachhari 2-0 in the first semifinal while Dhaka ousted Narayanganj by an identical margin.

Sultan's Claims Baseless Says Tapan

Sports Adviser Tapan Chowdhury yesterday termed the allegations made against him by Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) president SA Sultan as 'baseless'.

The sports adviser also told reporters during the prize giving ceremony of the Victory Day judo competitions that Sultan's remarks against the media was of 'bad taste'.

Sultan lodged complaints against the sports adviser in a letter to the National Sports Council chairman and Army Chief General Moeen U Ahmed on Thursday, sparking more controversy as the contents of the letter were published in most of yesterday's newspapers.

A war of words had begun between the sports boss of the country and the BFF chief last week, which led to Sultan's outburst and threat to resign from his post.

"I had talked about the poor state of the game and the activities of the BFF. I never attacked anyone personally. But he (Sultan) has attacked me personally. This is mindless and cheap," Tapan told.

"The way the BFF has been trying to form the DFAs will not develop the game in the country. We have always told that the federation and the government must co-exist but the federation's explanations regarding this have been upsetting," he added.

Sultan claimed in his letter that the sports adviser used his 'family' TV channel ETV to wage the war.

"This thing about the TV channel is completely baseless," said Tapan, dismissing another accusation that he has avoided meeting the BFF officials.

"The federation officials met me at different times. I always try to attend people when they want to meet me. I also inaugurated the professional football league. So it is not right that I have not given them time.

"His (Sultan) remarks about the media are tasteless. The duty of the media is to report and make sports more popular. This type of comment is unacceptable."

Meanwhile, the rumours around the resignation of Sultan strengthened last night.

The BFF's adjourned meeting on Wednesday will resume today and the BFF president is expected to tender his resignation in this meeting to put an end to the rumour of the last few days.

It can be noted that Anwarul Hoque Helal, the general secretary of the executive committee, resigned a few months earlier. Last year, vice-president Kazi Salahuddin also stepped down.

Dhaka and Rangamati in Women's Final

Dhaka and Rangamati will play the final of the Inter-district women's football competition tomorrow after elbowing our their semi-final opponents by identical margins yesterday.

Mainu Pru and Nubai scored in Rangamati's 2-0 win over neighbours Khagrachhari in the first semi-final at the Dhanmondi Women's Sports Complex while Dalia Akhter struck both the goals for Dhaka who blanked Narayanganj also 2-0.

The final will kick off at 3pm.

Sultan Slams Media

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) president SA Sultan dragged the media in his on-going war against Sports Adviser Tapan Chowdhury when he lodged an official complaint to the chairman of National Sports Council (NSC) yesterday.

In a letter to the NSC chairman and Army Chief General Moeen U Ahmed, Sultan claimed that the sports adviser had made some unnecessary and uncalled for remarks on his 'family' television channel ETV and to reporters against the BFF beyond his jurisdiction on December 6.

"He (Tapan) had made similar remarks in the past to tarnish the image of the federation but we did not complain to show respect for him. Damaging the BFF's image is not respectable for his ministry either," stated the letter signed by Sultan.

Sultan also seemed to have got tired of the media and blasted it by saying: "The media cannot be controlled without 'exchange' and we haven't indulged in this."

The BFF boss however was not available to clarify what he meant by the word 'exchange'. Also, it could not be known why he needed to control the media, especially after claiming huge success -- including the 2003 SAFF Championship triumph at home and the launching of the Professional Football League -- as the federation chief for the last five years.

Sultan, a former BNP MP, declared that there had been no anomalies, failure or nepotism during his tenure whatsoever.

"However, the politically motivated media and a certain government official have launched a propaganda blitz against us," he commented in the written statement.

Sultan urged the NSC chairman to ignore 'politically motivated' media reports and the remarks of the sports adviser to give the BFF an opportunity to hold a fair election for the greater national interest.

"We believe that your (Moeen U Ahmed) direction and decisions will help us hold an election that will give the BFF the right leadership. We need your help and involvement in doing this. Otherwise, there will be no alternative than to resign," the statement added.

The BFF boss also defended his federation by saying that it ran the game according to its calendar and only failed to stage the Dhaka Premier and First Division Leagues in 2006 due to unavoidable reasons.

"Although there has been a drop in crowd turn-ups, football is still popular and an Abahani-Mohammedan match attracts about 20,000 fans," the statement added.

However, the facts say different things.

It is still believed that the success in the SAFF Championship in 2003 was result of the past committee which roped in Austrian coach George Kottan. But Sultan threw the mentor out when he should have kept the successful coach for a better future.

The Sultan-led BFF -- always cash-starved -- failed to provide a coach to the national team for over two years and later mishandled foreign coaches like Diego Cruciani of Argentina and India's Syed Nayeemuddin.

Earlier this month, the BFF even failed to sell an aggregate of 20,000 tickets in three charity matches between Abahani and Mohammedan.

The sport's governing body in the country has also failed to hold the leagues or regulation tournaments in 2007 which has threatened the career of the players.

When Sultan was selected president of the federation by his party, he disbanded the elected body of the BFF to come under the wrath of FIFA, which banned the BFF instantly. Only when the elected executive committee was reinstated, the FIFA lifted the suspension.

It was during his tenure that the former football greats resigned en masse from the federation as well as the National Team Management Committee when the BFF chief ignored its recommendations about national team officials and chose a controversial BFF member as manager.

Football outside the capital is all but a dead game due to lack of nourishment from the father organisation which at one stage faced the agitation of footballers in demand of football league.

Although the BFF demands last year's AFC Challenge Cup in Dhaka and Chittagong featuring 16 national teams as a success, it was a tailor-made tournament organised by the AFC.

In the last five years and more, the BFF has failed to stage a single international tournament in Dhaka although Sultan made headlines every year by saying that the Padma-Ganga Cup is coming to the country.

Sultan, who has a tendency of denying his own comments, once told reporters that the political allies of BNP were liberal. However, in his constituency, a women's swimming competition was postponed due to fanatic protests by religious groups.

He, however, managed to ignore similar protests in Dhaka by finally staging women's football.

Narayanganj in Semis

Narayanganj became the last team to confirm a semi-final berth in the Inter-district women's football tournament when they crushed Jessore 4-0 at the Dhanmondi Women's Sports Complex yesterday.

Prolific scorer Sukhi struck a brace while Eeti and Bithi netted one goal apiece for Group D champions Narayanganj, who will face neighbours Dhaka in today's second semis.

The first semi-final will be played between Chittagong Hill Tracts neighbours, Rangamati and Khagrachhari.

BFF Looks to Previous Statutes for Shelter

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) is contemplating walking into the past as the executive committee has decided to ask FIFA's permission to hold the next election according to the 2003 constitution.

After BFF president SA Sultan's meeting with the organisers and ex footballers outside the federation on Tuesday, the executive committee once again ignored the urge to hold a general meeting for open discussion and push the ball into FIFA's court.

The BFF boss had promised to go to the FIFA and explain the difficulties of forming the district and divisional football associations (DFAs) due to technical and legal problems.

"In line with Monday's meeting with organisers, we've decided to request FIFA allow us hold the election according to the previous constitution," said Sultan.

The FIFA gave the BFF executive committee, which expired last April, one year's time to form DFAs and hold the next election.

"Although it is unlikely that the FIFA will listen to our plea, we will try to convince them that it would be difficult to form the DFAs within the April 30 deadline.

"We are doing this to make all people understand that we've been trying our best to hold the election in time," he added.

Meanwhile, BFF's acting general secretary Manzoor Hossain Malu confirmed that the procedures of forming the DFAs would continue.

He informed that the last date for the DFA polls have been extended to December 31 for the districts and January 10 for the divisions.

"We want to hold this election according to the previous constitution but even if we have to stick to the FIFA directive and hold the election according to the new statutes, I don't think there would be any legal trouble," hoped the BFF secretary.

So far, only eight DFA bodies have been formed and when asked why the remaining DFAs were not formed despite the procedures had begun in June this year, Malu said that the district organisers have asked for more time.

"It seems that the organisers have suddenly become confused although they looked sure about what to do with the DFAs at the start.

It was learned that the district sports association (DSA) secretaries, who had a meeting with the BFF two days earlier, are reluctant about the DFAs because it will heavily reduce their authority over the game.

In the FIFA directive, government officials or government representatives are not allowed to be any part of the football associations.

BFF President to Talk to FIFA

The ice surrounding the relationship between football organisers inside and outside the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has seemingly begun to melt after a delegation of organisers and ex-players met federation president SA Sultan yesterday.

Ex-BFF general secretary Harunur Rashid, former national captain and BFF high-up Badal Roy, organisers Fazlur Rahman Babul, Shawkat Khan Jahangir, Nurul Alam Chowdhury and ex-national booters Sheikh Mohammed Aslam and Kaiser Hamid were part of the delegation that met the BFF boss at his office last afternoon.

The main point of discussion was the formation of DFAs (district and divisional football associations) ahead of the BFF elections.

"There have been some talking recently but I want to make one thing clear that the BFF has so far done everything under the directive of its controlling organisation FIFA. However, considering the socio-economic condition of the country, I have realised that there are many problems in implementing the FIFA directives," Sultan told reporters after the meeting.

"Although this realisation has come late, there is time to correct the mistakes.

"Today's discussion has been productive and I have received some constructive suggestions which I intend to take to FIFA," promised Sultan.

"The reality is that there would be legal and technical problems if we continue with the ongoing procedures of forming the DFAs.

"We all want to release the tension and make a level playground so that a strong and good committee comes out of it to run the game in the future," said Sultan, who denied daylong rumour of his resignation.

"I am still in the chair. My personal view is that the BFF is an autonomous body. In the past, however, the government had controlled this particular chair and it is natural that it would want the same again.

"I admit that there has been pressure on the BFF but we created this. Although we will have to open talks with the FIFA again, I still believe this delay would not hamper our election date," he added.

Harunur Rashid said on the part of the organisers and players that they were happy about the president's realisation.

"All we wanted to convey to him was that the steps taken by the BFF to form the DFAs are not practicable in the context of our socio-economic condition. The FIFA's design for the DFA is not applicable in a country like us due to lack of infrastructure," said Harun.

"It is better the BFF president himself tells this to the FIFA. We have given some suggestions so he can go and explain the situation. I hope tomorrow's BFF meeting will take decisions about this and help us solve this temporary problem through talks with the international bodies like FIFA and AFC.

"Had this open discussion been held at the initial stage, things would have not become so complicated," he added.

Badal Roy also expressed his satisfaction saying that the president has welcomed the public sentiment.

"The BFF chief has admitted the need of holding a general meeting because if the DFAs are formed without an EGM or an AGM, it would face legal battle.

"Also, the BFF is still working under the NSC acts where DFAs don't exist. It has to be amended. This would be the right way. I believe that his BFF colleagues have always opposed him to come to us for discussions or holding a general meeting.

"Now I hope that he would get the vote of confidence from his committee to present our situation to the world football governing body," the former footballer added.

BFF to Sit With Organisers and Booters

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) officials had a meeting with the general secretaries of the district sports associations (DSA) yesterday, with a view to ease the way to the coming elections of the proposed DFAs (district and divisional football associations).

BFF president SA Sultan, acting general secretary Manzoor Hossain Malu, vice-presidents and other officials were present.

The BFF listened to suggestions about how the DSA secretaries could be involved with the DFAs.

Sultan told reporters after the meeting that they have thought about forming an advisory council for the DFAs where the DSA secretaries would be included.

The final decision, however, will be taken in BFF's executive committee meeting tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the BFF will finally sit today with the players and organisers, who have been repeatedly demanding a general meeting of the councillors to discuss the election issues, especially the formation of the DFAs.

MSC Win Charity Series

Guest goalkeeper Aminul Haque saved two penalties as Mohammedan Sporting Club produced another tiebreaker win against Abahani yesterday to lift the Teletalk Best of Three charity series 2-1.

In a repeat of the opening match, Mohammedan outplayed their arch rivals 4-2 in the penalty shootout after a scoreless 90 minutes in the third and final match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

Mohammedan won 5-4 on penalties in the first match before Abahani restored parity in the series with a 2-1 victory.

After an aggregate 14,000 turnout on the first two days, around 15,000 fans enjoyed the series finale, which meant the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) is likely to raise a fund near Tk 10 lakh - inclusive of Teletalk's Tk three lakh sponsorship - for victims of Cyclone Sidr.

The BFF's initial target was to see houseful crowd on each of the three days but it failed to even sell a total of 33,000 tickets - the official capacity of the venue.

The result in the end, would give the black and whites some solace to end the season after finishing runners-up to winners Abahani in this year's lone competition, the B. League.

It were the sky-blues who began brightly with Emily and Robin showing great skill up front. Still, Abahani missed the experience of guest striker Moni, who was absent due to a hamstring injury that saw him limp off the ground early in the previous game.

The Abahani duo, however, failed to put Aminul to the real test due to lack of finishing. Emily though, found the net in the 16th minute, but the goal was disallowed for a foul picked up by the referee's assistant.

Abahani won numerous corners without any avail against a tight five-man backline while Waly Faisal failed to keep his freekick from 25 yards under the bar as their opposition gained momentum after the half hour.

Farhad, however, blasted their only first-half chance over the bar inside from the penalty area.

Mohammedan regained defensive solidity after Hassan Al Mamun's return from a one-match suspension but for Abahani, Arif Khan Joy's comeback was not much comfortable as he became a target of the Mohammedan midfielders. The Abahani captain, who was also banned for the second match, was fouled whenever he touched the ball.

Neither side had a grip over the game in the second half but the match came alive in the last quarter with Farhad creating two superb chances. The diminutive forward first picked up Ripon 15 yards out of goal but the fullback's first-time volley sailed over before Charles Figo headed another Farhad centre wide from three yards.

Abahani had their chances in the last seven minutes but Pranotosh, who met a chip by Abul inside the six-yard box, nodded the ball wide.

Player of the series Aminul then made a couple of saves in the last five minutes, denying Abul and Emily from close range to take the match to the shootout.

The national goalkeeper, who missed an entire season through injury, first stopped Abahani's regular penalty-taker Nazrul's shot from the spot. Aminul was beaten by Emily's drive to the top left corner but put the match all but beyond Abahani by tipping Abul's shot out of his left post.

Mintu also scored for Abahani but it was not enough as all four Mohammedan penalty takers -- Ariful, Hassan Al Mamun, Farhad and Ripon -- kept their cool to beat Biplab and snatch victory.

Organising committee co-chairmen Kazi Nabil Ahmed, also an Abahani director, and Lokman Hossain, Mohammedan's general secretary, handed over the champions and runners-up trophy respectively.

BFF president SA Sultan, acting general secretary Manzoor Hossain Malu and Teletalk general manager marketing Habibur Rahman were also present.

TEAMS

Mohammedan: Aminul, Ariful, Hassan Al Mamun, Biplab, Kamal, Ripon, Sharif (Manjamin), Arman Aziz, Mithu (Mishu), Farhad and Figo (Rony).

Abahani: Biplab, Waly, Nazrul, Dominic, Mintu, Abul, Pranotosh, Joy, Munna, Emily and Robin (Zahed).

Final Charity Encounter Today

Warm-up over, Abahani and Mohammedan gear up for the third and final match of the Teletalk Series hoping that the decider will put an end to the scarcity of crowd.

With the charity series - organised by the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) to raise fund for the victims of Cyclone Sidr that ripped through the southern part of the country last month - locked 1-1, today's match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium will separate the winners.

The match will kick off at 4.30pm.

The two perennial foes' failure to attract fans in the last two matches was not totally unexpected as people have already turned their faces from the game. Even during competitive matches between the city rivals, the stadium remained half-full.

A total of 14,000 tickets worth just over Tk four lakh have been sold so far but the organisers are still hoping for a boost by the holiday crowd.

Mohammedan won the first encounter 5-4 on penalties after a goalless draw in regulation 90 minutes but Abahani bounced back with a 2-1 victory in the second match to level the scores.

Abahani captain Arif Khan Joy and Mohammedan's guest defender Hassan Al Mamun, who were sent off during the incident-packed first game, will return after serving one-match bans.

On the other hand, black and whites coach Shafiqul Islam Manik who inspired his boys to walk off the ground in protest of a disallowed goal also in the inaugural match, will also be available at the Mohammedan bench after serving a touchline ban.

It would be a challenge for Manik who looks forward to record a win in normal time after failing to beat B. League champions Abahani so far this season.

B. League runners-up Mohammedan had lost one and drew the other game in the professional league before managing to beat the sky-blues in the tiebreaker on last Monday.

Everyone, however, hopes that return of the key figures would be for the better and the most popular clubs of the country will show patience instead of repeating typical on and off the field antics and disappoint their devotees.

Abahani Level Charity Series

Guest footballer Matiur Munna set up a first-half goal for Abul Hossain and scored the other after the break to help Abahani come back in the Teletalk Best of Three Series with a 2-1 win over arch rivals Mohammedan yesterday.

Abahani's win levelled the three-match charity series 1-1 after Mohammedan, who wasted one penalty and converted the other through Jumratul Islam Mithu on the night, had won Monday's opening match 5-4 in the tiebreaker after a goalless draw in regulation 90 minutes.

The target of the football series - to raise a considerable fund for the cyclone victims - however, hardly fulfilled as the number of spectators reduced even after the dramatic first match, where two booters were sent off, the referee was show-caused and Mohammedan coach Shafiqul Islam Manik was handed a touchline ban.

Before a meagre 6,000 fans, Mohammedan looked more positive for the first half hour. The black and whites, however, wasted great chances to take the lead and seal the series even before Abahani had settled on the pitch.

Farhad sent a fine chip fro