Dhaka is all set to welcome the titans of world soccer, the Argentinean and Nigerian national football teams, for the FIFA friendly international match to be staged on September 6, at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka. Organised by the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), the match was titled ‘Beximco Football Fest’, as the country’s biggest corporate house came forward to provide the all financial assistance to organise the historic match.
BFF, regarding their preparations and ticketing system detailed everything at a press conference on Wednesday. The BFF president Kazi Mohammed Salahuddin and the chairman of the orgainising committee Anwarul Haque Helal, said, “The efforts to transform the condition of the stadium will start immediately after the B-League and Super Cup, as the stage needs to be revamped in welcoming the heroes of world football.
The BFF has also selected three practice venues for the two world soccer giants. The venues are: Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Fatullah Stadium and Army Stadium.
BFF officially announced the rate of tickets, while the corporate, corporate hospitality boxes and the VIP enclosures will available for sale from June 20, on ‘first come first serve’ basis. Western gallery tickets are fixed for Tk. 10,600 each, and corporate hospitality 12 boxes, (24 seats) at Tk. 50,000 each, Helal informed.
The general tickets for the public will be on sale from July 15 at Tk. 7,500 and Tk. 10,000 for the Western gallery. The president box tickets will cost Tk. 50,000, the special enclosures Tk. 15,000 and the special hospitality box Tk. 1,500,000.
VIP gallery upper and lower is fixed at Tk. 20,000 and Tk. 15,000 for each respectively. Special arrangements have been made for sports federations, national awardees (footballers), members of Swadhin Bangla Football Team and DFAs, while they will get the VIP gallery (lower) tickets for Tk. 5,000 off 15,000 each.
“It’s a great day for Bangladesh football and BFF. It’s a prestige for Bangladesh, as the country will come in the FIFA map by hosting a FIFA international friendly match. Argentina and Nigeria are coming here to play on September 6, we are here to clear any confusion about the match,” Salahuddin said.
“Beximco is our partner and the main sponsor, we had a cordial discussion with the vice-chairman of Beximco Group Salman F Rahman. Beximco will provide all the money, if there would be any profit from this match will go to the BFF fund for the youth development and if there will be any loss, Beximco will endure that,” Salahuddin informed.
Salahuddin, replying to a query about Lionel Messi said, “Messi’s Japanese agent is now in Bangladesh, we have talked with him, he has offered the interested company to brand Messi off their products, so it means the football legend is coming here.”
But the BFF boss also explained that if they would depend on only ticket sale then certainly it would be a loss affair, so they were expecting to generate income selling bill-boards and others rights.
Apart from Salahuddin and Anwarul Haque Helal, BFF senior vice-president Abdus Salam Murshedi, vice-president Showkat Ali Khan Janhangir, BFF executives Golam Rabbani Helal, Fazlur Rahman Babul and Amirul Islam Babu were present in the press conference among others.
-With The Independent input
