When the football clubs all over the world demand that their players should not be over-burdened with national team duties, the newly-crowned Independence Cup champions Chittagong Abahani took an opposite path. The club on Wednesday demanded that the Bangladesh Football Federation should drop Sattyajit Das Rupu from national team manager post fearing that he may deny their players enough national team opportunities.
Rupu, who is an official of Dhaka Abahani, may influence national team coach to select more players from his own club by ignoring others, said the club in a letter sent to the BFF.
‘We don’t have any objection against any individual person. We just want to ensure equal facilities for all players,’ Chittagong Abahani
football committee chairman Tarafder Ruhul Amin said on Wednesday.
‘When a club official was appointed as national team manager he can pressurise the coach to include his club’s players in the best XI. Before making the final decision coach must discuss all the matter with the manager.’
The letter came as a surprise to some football organisers, who laughed off at the nativity of the suggestion.
They argued that in football an operational manager can play little role in selecting starting XI and it is
nearly impossible when the coach is from Europe.
‘Even if the coach takes more players from other clubs in his team it would inevitably mean Chittagong Abahani players get more rests,’ said the organiser.
-With New Age input
