AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers
BFF eager to get De Kruif in March
The Bangladesh Football Federation is eager to get Dutch coach Lodewijk de Kruif ahead of the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers in March and it is ready to pay the coach one month’s salary as well as bonus, in case of success, for his three-week stay here.
The tournament, which involves hosts Nepal, Palestine, Northern Mariana Island and Bangladesh, will run from March 2 to 8.
“Yesterday (Sunday) I talked to De Kruif’s agent who wanted to know about the financial package we were ready to offer for this short stint. I told him that the coach would get one month’s salary in line with Memorandum of Understanding he signed with the federation,” Salahuddin told reporters at the BFF House yesterday.
“In addition, we will pay him a handsome bonus if he can take Bangladesh to the final phase of the AFC Challenge Cup. The agent will inform the coach about the offer by Friday,” said Salahuddin.
On Saturday, the BFF signed a MoU with De Kruif and Rene Koster as Bangladesh national team’s head coach and BFF Academy coach respectively and the contract will be effective from June.
The BFF boss also informed that they were thinking of hosting three International friendlies against Thailand, Malaysia and UAE U-23 sides in August instead of February, as part of preparation for the SAFF Championship which is scheduled for September.
-With The Daily Star input
