Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com
Bangladesh’s national women’s football team’s long-serving coach, Golam Rabbani Choton, decided to quit his post soon after SAFF Women’s Championship title-winning team forward Sirat Jahan Swapna made the announcement of her retirement on Friday.
‘My decision is to resign on June 1. I will send the resignation letter to the BFF (Bangladesh Football Federation) by this time,’ Choton told media on Friday.
‘I am tired, and I want to take a break… One cannot work without emotional peace. I have been working continuously, from dawn to dusk, for women’s football for the last seven to eight years. I could not give time to my family and relatives.
‘Even after working a lot, I have to listen to a lot of (harsh) words. On the other hand, the pressure of work is increasing day by day. It has become impossible for me to take on more mental stress,’ he added.
Meanwhile, Swapna, who scored four goals in last year’s successful SAFF Women’s Championship, announced her retirement from the game through a social media post where she wrote, ’I am retiring from professional football of my own will.’
‘I have been fortunate enough to play professional football for about eight years. I learned a lot of things after coming to football. Thanks and gratitude to Almighty Allah for everything. I have met many people through the game. So if, knowingly or unknowingly, I have hurt someone, take that with forgiveness. And everyone pray for me,’ she added.
The current players of the Bangladesh national women’s team were groomed under Choton’s guidance, and the latest success of winning the SAFF Women’s Championship title for the first time in September 2022 came under his guidance, along with the other six regional competition titles for the age-group women’s teams.
When he was asked whether his decision was due to frustration over a lot of issues like not being able to have competitive matches for the senior team and seeing his players leave football, the coach did not reply, but he said there is ‘no possibility of him coming back to this place’.
