Bangladesh Football Federation’s planned football academy at the Sylhet BKSP is yet to start its activities, despite funds being available, said the BFF officials.
The academy, which received money from both FIFA and the Bangladesh government, has yet to have its ground ready due to delay in the tender process.FIFA allocated $700,000 for the academy under its goal project-III and nearly half of the total money ($300,000) has already been deposited in the BFF account in two instalments.
The Bangladesh government also allocated Tk 1.94 crore, but BFF officials said the money remained unused for a tender delay.
The BFF had selected 140 players of two different age groups in December last year and Dutch coach Rene Koster was also appointed as trainer of the academy.
The NSC handed over the Sylhet BKSP to the BFF in December 2011 and also promised to renovate the infrastructures.
Following assurance from the finance ministry of funding, the NSC invited separate tenders for ground, painting, furniture and equipment purchase.
However, a change in the NSC administration saw all the tenders cancelled.
Ahmed Morshed, the newly-appointed secretary of the NSC, cancelled the tenders, which only maintained local standard and were also faulty in technical term.
A fresh tender was invited on June 23.
The technical evaluation committee of NSC approved three tenders for grounds, furniture and painting and asked the authority to issue work orders.
The tender for purchasing equipment had to be cancelled as there was only one bidder.
BFF president Kazi Salahuddin was frustrated with this bureaucratic problem on Thursday and blasted the state minister for youth and sports, Ahad Ali Sarkar, for what he said an unnecessary delay in works.
`I don’t know why the NSC has not started the renovation work,’ said an irate Salahuddin.
‘We finished all our preparations to start the football academy and the government has also allocated money six months ago but the state minister for sports did not give any importance to it.
I have reasons to doubt if he is at all interested in setting up the Football Academy in Sylhet,’ he said.
Salahuddin also took a swipe at the NSC, the sports regulatory body in Bangladesh.
`NSC is the biggest obstacle for the development of sports,’ he said. ‘It is always busy with tenders and development projects,’ he added.
-With New Age input
