Abahani to start campaign with Nepal’s New Road

AFC President’s Cup kicks off tomorrow
Local favourites Dhaka Abahani Limited will start their AFC President’s Cup football campaign tomorrow with facing New Road Team of Nepal at the Bangabandhu National Stadium at 7pm.
Like previous year, Bangladesh professional league champions Abahani Limited have been given the responsibility by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to host the Group A matches. Abahani along with Dordoi Bishkek of Kyrgyzstan, Hasus NTCPE of Chinese Taipei and New Road Team of Nepal have been drawn in Group A.
The inaugural match will be played between Dordoi Bishek and Hasus NTCPE at 4 pm at the same venue.
Lt Col (retd) Kazi Shahed Ahmed, director in charge of Abahani Limited, disclosed this at a press conference at the club’s auditorium in the city on Monday. Club director Kazi Nabil Ahmed and team manager Sattyajit Das Rupu also spoke on the occasion. Abdul Hakim, senior member of the club, conducted the media briefing.
Kazi Shahed Ahmed said that the club definitely feel proud to represent the nation for the second successive years. “We have completed all necessary preparation works to stage the group matches without any hinder. Our team is also ready to give their best to qualify for the final round,” said Ahmed.
Last year Abahani just failed to qualify for the final round on goal difference despite earning four points from two matches.
Rupu informed that a 25-member Dordoi Bishkek of Kyrgyzstan have already arrived in Dhaka on Monday morning.  Hasus NTCPE of Chinese Taipei were the second team to reach later in the evening and New Road Team of Nepal were due to reach Dhaka in the early hours of Tuesday.
Rupu said although the strength of all teams would be equal as they are the champion teams of their respective country. But he rated Dordoi Bishkek as their main rivals in the group. He observed that the teams of Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan are almost of equal strength and last year Abahani drew with a team from Turkmenistan.
He further informed that each team would be allowed to field two foreign players with Abahani picking up defender Samad Yussif and forward Awudu Ibrahim as their two foreign recruits. “We have prepared a team of 24 players and we would finalise the final 23 in the managers’ meeting,” said Rupu, who is also a member of Bangladesh Football Federation.
Kazi Nabil Ahmed said they have taken all measures to attract the soccer crowd. There would be prizes for the crowd to be given on lottery basis. And each of the three day the first prize would be motor bike, second prize is a 21 inches colour TV and third prize is a DVD player.
Besides the club have decided to allow school students a free access to the eastern gallery of the stadium. Moreover, they are trying to take the students of different private university in Dhanmondi to witness the matches. Even free tickets have been offered to all players of first, second and third division teams, said Nabil Ahmed, one of the vice-presidents of BFF. The rate of tickets for VIP and western gallery would be Tk 50 and 20 respectively.
Replying to a question he said that the clubs have already taken necessary permission to hold matches under flood-light.
Initially the AFC President’s Cup will be held in three groups. The three group champions and best runners-up team would play in the final round on knock out basis. The AFC has given a financial grant of US $15,000 to all participating teams. But Abahani would not get the participation money rather they would receive US $60,000 for hosting the group matches. The champions and runners-up of the tournament would be awarded US $50,000 and US $25,000 respectively.

Courtesy of The Independent