Under pressure from world football’s governing body, the Bangladesh Football Federation sets rolling the country’s first-ever football academy in Sylhet today without any long-term plan. A total of 40 students from two different age groups, who are currently in Sylhet to join the academy, face an uncertainty over their academic future as the BFF has no specific plan set for them.Football insiders said BFF is starting the academy only because of pressure from FIFA, who recently threatened to withdraw the fund from the project if it was delayed further.
Because of the pressure, the BFF had to start the academy at a time when its cadets are originally scheduled for their school examinations.
‘Our first job is to sort out student’s final exam date and make a contact with a local school,’ said Jubair Nipu, technical director of the BFF, who is taking the charge of the academy.
‘Now we have to arrange tutors for helping the students prepare for the exams and leave them next month for it.
BFF general secretary Abu Naeem Sohag admitted that they have to accept the reality before sending the students to the academy.
‘Actually we had to start it somehow, so we couldn’t make all the plans. Hopefully, we will make a full calendar in January,’ Sohag said.
There are some anomalies reported in selection process as the BFF wasted Tk 50 lakh by arranging a talent hunt two years ago.
At that time, the BFF had selected 140 players from Under-14 and Under-18 but they were denied a place at the academy now.
When 70 players selected from Under-14 categories could have been easily accommodated in Under-16 category this time, the BFF instead selected players from the pioneer league in Under-17 category.
The BFF conceived the project launching an academy at the Sylhet BKSP in 2009 and after hectic lobbying, the National Sports Council leased it to them for five years in 2011.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter inaugurated the academy on March 6 in the same year and the government allotted Tk 2 crore for the renovation.
However, a bitter relationship between the BFF president Kazi Salahuddin and the state minister for youth and sports Ahad Ali Sarker appeared as a stumbling block for the academy.
BFF officials accused the NSC of making dilly-dally in completing the renovation works, leaving the project stalled for months.
FIFA has allotted $5 lakh for the project but it was alleged that the BFF used the money for other purpose, leaving the academy in cash crisis from the beginning. It is now hoping finance minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhit, who will inaugurate the academy, will also announce a grant today.
‘To complete the whole renovation work, we will ask Tk 5 crore from the finance minister. We also need Tk 3 to Tk 4 crore each year to meet the operational costs’, said BFF’s vice-president Badal Roy, who is also chairman of the BFF’s development committee.
-With New Age input
