Bangladesh national football team’s probable coach Lodewijk De Kruif after his two-day stay in Dhaka on Wednesday said that he had a good impression both on the country and its footballers and is looking forward to taking charge of the side.
The Dutch coach, who along with his assistant Rene Koster, is on a week-long tour in Bangladesh to have an idea of the facilities the BFF has proposed to offer him and the level of football here, watched a Bangladesh Premier League match between defending champions Abahani Limited and BJMC at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.
‘I had the information that one of the teams in this match have some national team players in their side. My impression about them is very positive,’ Lodewijk said after the match.
‘They are skilful enough to adapt to my strategies. I believe I can do well with them,’ he added.
The coach also said that he found Dhaka to be a very big city with all kinds of facilities available here which provides him the opportunity to live here with his family.
‘Dhaka is a very big city having a number of good schools, a Dutch embassy club and all other facilities. The traffic is a little heavy on the streets but I do not think that is a big problem. I can stay here with my family,’ Lodewijk said.
Lodewijk informed that despite having a good impression on the country and its footballers he is yet to finalise any contract with the Bangladesh Football Federation while he also added that he has a contract with Dutch club PSV Eindhoven which will expire at the end of the year.
The BFF president Kazi Salahuddin said the contract made the task tougher for them as they will now have to pay the Dutch club as well if they recruit Lodewijk.
‘We will have to buy out his contract with PSV Eindhoven if we recruit him at this moment. We are considering other options,’ said Salahuddin.
‘We actually need him the most before our SAFF Championship campaign in September and in that case we can bring him at least two months before the competition. We may also bring him temporarily for the AFC Challenge Cup in March,’ Salahuddin added.
Lodewijk along with assistant Koster, who will also take charge of the BFF Academy in Sylhet, will visit the institute today.
-With New Age input
