Saff Debacle Probe
Russell chief blames coaches for failure
Sheikh Russell Krira Chakra president Nurul Alam Chowdhury blamed the coaching staff and the national team management committee for Bangladesh’s SAFF Championship debacle after facing the fact-finding committee at the Bangladesh Football Federation House on Friday.
Chowdhury had recently expressed interest in meeting with the committee and afterwards said that he had given them some observations and suggestions.
He pointed a finger at the mostly-Dutch coaching staff for the players’ fatigue during the tournament.
‘Most of the players in the national team played under the best coaches – like Maruful Haque, Afusi Joseph and Saiful Bari Titu – last season, so they did fitness training with their respective clubs,’ said Chowdhury.
‘It was not necessary to give them loads of extra fitness training when they were already in good shape.’
He also claimed that the national team committee was also responsible for the failure.
‘The national team committee and coaching staff should take the blame. I think there was unfairness in the team selection,’ said the veteran organiser, himself a former member of the national team committee.
‘I don’t understand how a defender like Mamun Mia could not get chance in the squad. He is one of the best stoppers and was a member of the treble-winning team [Sheikh Russell]. Rezaul also deserved a place in the squad, but he was left out at the last moment. The team selection was biased,’ he added.
He also criticised team management for failing to motivate the players.
“The responsibility is the national team committee’s to motivate the players who didn’t give 100 percent,’ he said.
The committee also spoke met top-level coaches Maruful Haque and Saiful Bari Titu on Friday.
Sheikh Russell coach Maruful claimed afterwards that the players would have performed well if they had been completely fit.
‘During the tournament I was in the United Kingdom so that I didn’t get a chance to watch the matches, but what I learned from newspapers and media is that the team suffered with fitness problems. I have known the players for a long time, and if they were fit they would not get injured or perform like this. I think our main problem was fitness,’ said Maruful, who was taking a UEFA coaching course in the UK during the tournament.
Former national team coach Titu suggested that the committee needs to make the local league stronger.
‘They wanted our suggestions on several issues. We told them to make the local league stronger. If the domestic league was stronger the players would be capable of performing better,’ he said.
‘I agreed that the fitness was main problem,’ added Titu, who guided Super Cup-winners Mohammedan Sporting Club Limited last season.
-With New Age input
