Argentina-Nigeria match in Dhaka - Dhaka Mirror

What good will Messi do?

Admin — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:45:10 +0000

As Lionel Messi and his Argentina team amble back into the daily drudgery of club football they leave behind in their wake an adoring crowd of Bangladeshi supporters hopeful for another visit of football’s most famous star. If Messi had even had half an ear open during most of the game on Tuesday, he would definitely have been rewarded with screams of endearment that greeted his every touch. The Argentine’s popularity is so at its peak here that it overwhelms the support for other superstars such as Gonzalo Higuain and Angel di Maria.
As such, Bangladesh can prove a comfortable destination for many such future internationals of Argentina; in truth the supporter base here is as strong as it is anywhere else in the world.
But the real question which arises with Messi’s departure is this; do games of this magnitude have any real impact or value for football in Bangladesh?
When the game was initially announced this question was repeatedly raised to the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), because in reality, looking only at face value, there really is very little tangible impact for Bangladesh football per se from a game of this magnitude.
BFF president Kazi Salahuddin’s response in those circumstances was quite admirable. He felt, and rightly so, that organizing games of such calibre could only serve to increase the visibility of Bangladeshi football to youths playing the game here, while at the same time establish Bangladesh as a popular and able destination for friendly internationals of this magnitude.
But with the departure of the Argentines the feeling is that while the first output might have been achieved, the second was one that the BFF and its partner Beximco completely missed the boat in.
But first the positives.
The interest generated from this game was massive, even if the hype was not properly channelled by the BFF. There is no doubt that seeing the kind of superstars that you do line-up on TV every week, playing infront of you, will get at least a few youngsters to take up football as their primary sport.
Also, people will be talking about this Messi game for a long time and through this football finally garnered the much sought after front page coverage. However, the fear is that once Messi has left things will go back to their usual state, i.e, little or no coverage of Bangladesh football or the Bangladesh League.
And it is easy to see why. Over the years it has been tough to attract the audience for football in Bangladesh, as had been almost the wont in the 1980s. Young kids can recite the names of entire squads of their European club of choice but ask them to name the teams that participate in the Bangladesh League and they will be stumped. Much has been made of poor marketing and infrastructure but ultimately there is a distinct lack of quality that is the one thing that generally attracts fans.
This means that football in the country is trapped in a form of vicious cycle. So how can the Messi match help to find a way out of this?
Well if the organizers and Kazi Salahuddin is to be believed than this game can provide the right push to the BFF and the other stakeholders to promote the game and thereby bring in the right sponsors who can help bring the game up from the grassroots.
But worryingly, promotion has sadly been a weak point for football. Take the case of the Argentina game for example, where the TV rights was not sold to ESPN hence depriving a huge segment of the world a chance to see the teams in action at Dhaka. According to Independent TV, the contractual agreement only stated that they would have to provide feeds to Nigerian and Argentine television. This meant that unlike the India game, which was telecast to all parts of the world, this game was only seen by the people of the participating nations. This then goes completely against the idea of promoting Bangladesh as an able location for future friendly internationals.
But the marketing failure was not just restricted on that end. Promotional material for this game seemed immensely hard to come by with only a few stand banners and billboards proclaiming the arrival of Argentina. As such ticket sales also suffered.
But the hope is that the BFF will learn from these mistakes and the fact that they have managed to pull off a game of this calibre will provide a fresh impetus to help them attract more sponsors into the game. This then, will help to develop a youth structure, improve facilities and coaching standards at all levels.
But the BFF have to be quick. While the fallout from this game will keep people interested for the near future if this cannot be properly harnessed and channelled than football will soon return to its secondary status behind cricket and struggle for any form of recognition.

-With The Daily Star input

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It’s just the beginning?

Admin — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:43:31 +0000

After the successful completion of the Argentina-Nigeria match in Dhaka, Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has now sets its sights on bringing English Premier League champions Manchester United and Diego Maradona’s Al Wasl FC of UAE to the city next year.
“If I am elected again in next year’s election, then I will try to bring Manchester United and Maradona in July 12 or 15 next year,” Salahuddin told reporters at his office in Motijheel yesterday.
BFF member Anwarul Haq Helal, who acted as chairman of the Argentina-Nigeria FIFA international friendly, elaborated further that Maradona’s charges Al Wasl FC could play against Manchester United of England.
The tenure of the existing BFF executive committee, led by Kazi Salahuddin, will expire on April 30 next year.
However, the BFF boss has shifted his focus to the national team as Bangladesh will compete in the SAFF Championship to be held in Orissa, India from December 1 to 15.
“Ahead of December’s SAFF Championship, the national football team will be given enough time to be prepared, we even will send them abroad for practice matches if needed,” said Salahuddin.
Bangladesh were eliminated by eventual champions India from the semifinals of the SAFF Championship held in Bangladesh in late 2009.
Bangladesh are now led by Macedonian coach Nikola Ilievski, who guided the team to the second round of the 2014 World Cup pre-qualifiers after an aggregate 3-0 win over Pakistan in the first round, but his charges were eliminated through an aggregate 4-2 loss against Lebanon despite a 2-0 home win.
“We will discuss the team’s preparations with the national coach before finalising the programme and the booters may be given one month or two months to be geared up for the SAFF Championship,” added the BFF boss.
The domestic season will get under way through the Federation Cup in the latter part of December after the completion of the SAFF Championship. The players’ transfer window will be open from October 1.
“We initially wanted to complete the Federation Cup before the SAFF Championship but a few clubs of the professional football league want to play Federation Cup and Bangladesh League uninterruptedly,” said Anwarul Haq Helal, member of the Bangladesh League Committee.
An uninterrupted domestic season is on the cards as after the SAFF Championship in December this year, there is virtually no international engagement for the national team in the horizon for 2012, although the Bangladesh League champions Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club are supposed to take part in the AFC President’s Cup from May 3-13 next year. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is also set to introduce a new tournament involving national U-22 teams of different countries but it is still not decided whether Bangladesh take will take part in that tournament to be held in July next year.

-With The Daily Star input

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Messi, Mikel bid bye

Admin — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 11:00:07 +0000

Nazia of Banani could not believe her own eyes as she met Lionel Messi in person on Tuesday night at the Ruposhi Bangla hotel’s lobby. The Argentina captain, who is usually very shy, was in jovial and friendly mood after he guided his side to victory over Nigeria.
Some twenty to twenty-five fans, mostly young, waited at the lobby till late in the night for a glimpse of the magical Barcelona forward. And their prayers were answered as at around 1 am, Messi went wandering about in the lobby.
Nazia could not let this opportunity slip and as she took one of the No. 10 shirts of Messi and had the best player in the world sign an autograph on it.
After a cherishable win on the night, the Argentina players were in a jovial mood as they were seen going through the shops at the hotel to collect memorabilia of their Dhaka sojourn.
Later the team left Dhaka in a couple of instalments. Captain Lionel Messi, along with 26 players and officials, were the first to leave by a 4:40am Qatar Airways flight. The troupe flew for Doha from where they will be leaving for their respective clubs. The technical director and support staff of the Argentina team left Dhaka on a different flight.
Meanwhile, Messi’s opposite number Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel, had to take some trouble for his flight to London. Mikel went to the airport from where he was supposed to fly to London on a 2am flight, but a mistake from the ticketing agent had him waiting for some hours more. Mikel came back to the hotel and left on a later flight at around 7am, with a few more players.
The rest of the Nigeria squad left by two more instalments, one at 7 pm on Wednesday and the last two hours later. Meanwhile, a hotel source said that the Nigerians were heard grunting among themselves about the lack of support they received from the local fans.

-With The Daily Star input

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Messi rocks big bowl

Admin — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 17:26:53 +0000

Lionel Messi dazzled in an otherwise under-whelming Argentina performance which still proved enough to negotiate an ultimately comfortable 3-1 victory over Nigeria in their international friendly match held at the Bangabandhu National Stadium (BNS) in Dhaka yesterday.
Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain claimed two of the goals, at least one of which was a stunning finish from a Messi chip behind the defensive line. Angel di Maria was the other scorer, but that goal too owed all but the final touch to Messi. The Argentine picked up the ball in midfield and as is his wont, put on a burst of acceleration that saw him sashay past numerous challenges. His placing shot was half-stopped by Nigeria goalkeeper Aiyenugba Dele, but Real Madrid winger di Maria was there to sweep home the rebound.
Nigeria fought back briefly, especially early in the second-half, as their strategy of hitting the ball beyond Argentina’s high full-backs started to reap dividends. Hoffenheim forward and second-half substitute Chinedu Obasi provided a smart finish after great work from Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel early in the second-half, but with Higuain’s finish the game was all but up.
The Bangabandhu National Stadium was almost packed to its 24,000 capacity when the side’s kicked-off after an elaborate opening session that included meetings with dignitaries and a mangled speaker during the national anthems.
There had been fears that even Messi’s Argentina would not be enough to draw the full house that was forecast initially, but a late response for tickets following the arrival of Argentina yesterday proved those fears baseless.
But whatever may be the case, the elongated opening seemed to take its toll on the players of both sides as the match proved a slow-burner with a cagey opening.
The first shot in anger came from Nigerians after swift interplay saw Ideye Browna unleash a speculative drive that sailed over.
That was that as far as action went for the opening 25 minutes after which the game suddenly spun into life.
First, Messi was left in a heap after a heavy tackle deep into his own territory. The crowd were suddenly silent but in a short while the Argentinean was back on his feet.
If there were any fears of him not being able to put up his best, it was put to rest just two minutes later.
Swift interplay between Jose Sosa and di Maria saw Messi get an inch of room just outside the area. And he responded perfectly, lifting a superbly weighted ball beyond the backline for Higuain. The Real front-man was emphatic, his volleyed effort giving no chance to the opposition goalkeeper.
The crowd went delirious as chants of Messi punctured the thick evening air.
But he was just getting started. Minutes later Messi showed exactly why he is the best player in the world.
Picking up the ball deep in midfield, he went on exactly the kind of fantasy run that every single paying soul in the stadium had prayed for when they trumped up 7,500 taka (100 dollars) for the cheapest tickets.
For seconds there was the silence of expectation as Messi rode one challenge after another. As he entered the penalty area and transferred the ball onto his left foot, everyone was waiting for the net to bulge. But they had forgotten that he was wearing the blue of Albiceleste, a kit in which Messi himself admitted, goals don’t come easy.
His shot was saved admirably, but the rebound was poked home by di Maria.
After that Argentina were in control for most of the game and even as Nigeria pulled a goal back late in the half their challenge petered out quickly.
Perhaps it was to do with a lack of support from the locals, a fact raised by captain Mikel in the press conference.
“I did not see much cheer when we were attacking,” said Mikel with a rueful smile, but if the Chelsea man had done his homework before stepping out at the Bangabandhu, he would have known that for this game there was only ever going to be one team.
So even though Argentina were not at their best, this was a performance, especially from Messi that would have whetted the appetites of those watching. Quality like this don’t come along often and to have the best player in the world adorn your home ground is a privilege many would pay an arm and a leg for.
For his part, Sabella finished the first two matches of his reign with two victories and given the history of Argentina coaches in the recent past, this will stand him in good stead as he aims to bring about wholesale changes in a squad, which in his own eyes, lacks balance and equilibrium.
Having a home crowd as adulating as the ones at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday will surely help.

Courtesy of The Daily Star

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Messi says…

Admin — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 17:25:30 +0000

“Se grande problemo.”
Lionel Messi uttered the phrase on way to his room after having lunch on the ground floor at the Ruposhi Bangla Hotel yesterday as the enthusiastic fans, photographers and cameramen gathered to capture his photo whenever he is seen in the lobby.
The sensational Messi’s conversation with his teammates was interpreted by a police officer who knows Spanish through experiencing at UN peace missions. The police officer of Ramna Police Station, preferred not be named, explained the meaning of “Se grande problemo” stands “it’s a big problem”.
Though not a word was heard from the great man so far, the single exasperated sentence was caught by this reporter yesterday.
Nevertheless all focus is on the two-time world player of the year though there are a lot of stars like Sergio Agüero, Angel di Maria, Martin Demichelis, Javier Mascherano and Ganzalo Higuain in the Argentina team but all of them are now overshadowed here by the presence of the magical Barcelona striker who himself expressed his irritation by the Spanish language though it is not understandable to see his always smiling face.
However, there were less fans from outside yesterday compared to Monday’s rush but some had checked in at the hotel to catch a glimpse and were trying to take photo with any Argentinean players, especially Messi.
In one incident, a security personnel challenged a youth who impeded Messi & Co but the UK-based Bangladeshi was identified as a boarder of the Ruposhi Bangla.
After having practiced on Monday evening at the Bangabandhu National Stadium, all members of the Argentina squad were confined to the hotel though they twice came down to the ground floor to have breakfast and lunch before heading to the BNS to play their friendly match against Nigeria yesterday.
“I accompanied many cricket teams like Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka at this hotel but Argentina team is totally different. In the last two days, I have seen from close range that the players do three things practicing, eating and sleeping,” said a Ruposhi Bangla official.
Some of the players were seen visiting the souvenir shops at the hotel while Messi paid a visit to the CD shop though none of them bought anything but it was learned from the shop attendants that Argentinean booters desired to buy some souvenirs from the shop on the way back home.
Liaison officer Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury informed Messi did not have breakfast but had lunch as the players were given choice to have breakfast from 8:30am to 10:30am and the lunch time was fixed at 12:00pm at Vintage Restaurant of Ruposhi Bangla.
The former national booter informed Messi skipped the breakfast and had only lunch but all payers had tea at 4:00pm.
Though the players were confined to the hotel, the coaching staffs including head coach Alejandro Sabella inspected the venue and dressing room and almost spent an hour and half as they couldn’t do so on Monday.
On way to the BNS, the Argentina team were greeted by the crowds standing on both sides of the road. After playing the friendly match, Argentina team is scheduled to leave Bangladesh in the early hours of today.

Courtesy of The Daily Star

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Messi! Messi!! Messi!!!

Admin — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 03:52:10 +0000

Fans, players and organisers alike were awestruck by the sight of the inimitableLionel Messi as the two-time world player of the year set foot on Bangladeshi soil with his Argentina team on Monday.
The magical marksman was received with more than a dozen garlands at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport as he made his way to the VIP lounge with a distinct smile etched on his face. Bangladesh’s national footballers, who were at the airport to receive the Argentina team, scurried to shake hands with Messi and his teammates, prompting some to later hail the experience as the best ever in their lives so far.
‘Worlds no.1 ke dekhte pellam. Footballer na sudhu, se ekta great human. Life e r kichu na dekhle o dukkho thakbe na. [I saw the number one footballer in the world. He is just not a footballer, but also a great human being. I will not have any regrets if I don’t see anything else in my life]’ midfielder Abdul Baten Komol wrote as his facebook status. Another national player Shakil Ahmed added in facebook: ‘Ajke amar arekta eid, Messi ke receive korlam [today is my Eid day, I received Messi]’.
‘Thnx god…messir shathe handshake korte
parae [thanks god, I was able to shake hands with Messi,’ said another footballer Rezaul Karim Reza.
There were contradictory statements over who greeted Messi first with defender Atiqur Rahman Meshu claiming to have done so, describing the experience as one he will cherish throughout his life.
‘I was confused as to whether I would get a chance to see Messi or touch him as there was forty of us with each one assigned to present floral wreaths to a different person,’ Meshu told New Age.
‘Thank God that I got the chance first. When I saw Messi coming towards me I suddenly realised that I was the person to give him the floral wreath. I froze for a second but snapped back to reality in time to greet him,’ he said.
Imtiaz Ahmed Nakib, a former national striker, however dismissed his claim and said Messi was first received by national captain Bilop Bhattachaja and former player Zakir Hossain.
No media were allowed to enter the VIP lounge and fans were also driven back, but still there was no shortage of enthusiasm among the groups. Hundreds of fans gathered on the pavements, rooftops and at the parking places, to steal a look through the window of the Argentina team bus and greeted him with chants of ‘Messi!Messi!! Messi!!!’
A strong, loud chorus greeted Messi as he entered the Ruposhi Bangla Hotel at 12:30pm. Members of Bangladesh women’s football team received the Argentineans at the hotel with floral wreaths.
‘I had always wished for a chance to take a snap with Messi. It was possible today, but I am still happy about being able to see the best player in the world,’ said Trishna Chakma, the captain of women team.

-With New Age input

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“Messi, Messi”

Admin — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 03:49:19 +0000

Lionel Messi put the ball down patiently, before taking three marked steps back. He wiped his brow and eyed the mass of players lined up jostling for position inside the penalty area a few yards away. He took a deep breath and around him, the ten thousand strong crowd at the Bangabandhu National Stadium all reciprocated.
Messi’s run-up was smooth, his delivery perfect. Inside the area, Nicolas Otamendi almost repeated the trick they pulled together on Friday but this time the ball sailed agonisingly beyond the defender and out to touch.
There was an audible gasp from the crowd who were hoping for something better from a training session that was charging a thousand taka per head. But throughout the evening session held under lights at the venue for the game, the Argentines were visibly muted, their moves and drills slightly lacklustre in nature.
It was understandable perhaps, given the fact that the focus of the session was more on consolidation. It is never easy playing two games within four days, especially not when the team is not really acclimatised to the conditions.
Head coach Alejandro Sabella admitted as much in the pre-match press conference held at the Ruposhi Bangla hotel.
“We only played two days ago against Venezuela. So the players really need to rest before tomorrow’s [Tuesday’s] game.”
But the crowd were hardly complaining. The main event is today, but yesterday there was still a humdrum in the air, a palpable feeling of excitement that was amplified and hung as heavy as the humidity. And every time Messi touched the ball, everyone exploded into life with cheers of “Messi, Messi”.
By all accounts, this was a historic day for Bangladesh football, if not Bangladesh sport.
Argentina’s arrival was evidence enough of what kind of day it would be in the city. As soon as the BG 092 flight of national carrier Bangladesh Biman landed, officers of the Civil Aviation Authority were seen deserting their posts to catch a glimpse of football’s newest sensation.
That was not all.
Outside, fanatics had gathered waving the blue and white colours of the Albiceleste with pride and joy. People kitted in jerseys were standing on top of the car-park hoping against hope to catch a glimpse of the successor of Diego Maradona.
Bangladesh football captain Biplab Bhattacharjee was one of the lucky few to be granted audience with the Barcelona forward and his teammates as he was part of the reception committee readied by the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF).
“I put a garland on Messi’s neck and welcomed him to Bangladesh and he smiled towards me,” said Biplob, visibly in awe.
“It was the biggest moment for my football career and I will never forget this moment,” said left-back Atiqur Rahman Meshu adding that he had even managed to capture some footage of Messi with his mobile phone.
Things were only more heightened after the team bus arrived at the premises of the Ruposhi Bangla hotel, which is set to be the temporary abode of the two-time world champions in the city.
Photographers and journalists were lined-up side by side with a plethora of fans who tried to sneak their way into the hotel to catch a glimpse of the heroes. They were all cordoned off by an emphatic police force determined to keep incidents to a minimum.
But no one could have anticipated the volcanic response to Messi’s disembarkation from the bus.
So enamoured were all with the two-time world-player-of-the-year that all and sundry rushed towards him screaming and waving leaving Real Madrid star Angel di Maria with a bemused look of amusement.
The players went into their rooms to freshen up but were soon down for an early lunch at 12:30 pm. And while coach Sabella made a quick stop for the required pre-match press conference, he too soon retired to his room for some rest.
If that was supposed to be a queue for the excitement to die down, most were very mistaken. A couple of hundred spectators still trudged around, tip-toeing across security and using every trick in the book to find a way beyond the security perimeter.
It was a long wait and the players only left their rooms at 6:20 pm to attend the hour and a half long training session at the Bangabandhu Stadium. But for many, all those hours of waiting was a small price to pay for a view in the flesh of the best player in the world.
Days like this don’t come along very often and as a certain Mirza Ahmad so eloquently put it minutes after catching a glimpse of his idol: “This is the best day of my life.”
Hyperbole perhaps, but there is little doubt that a sportsman of this magnitude has never graced Dhaka before. Zinedine Zidane was here, but the French maestro was on a business mission and although his brief fifteen minute interlude at the Bangabandhu Stadium will not soon be forgotten by those who were present that day, Messi against Nigeria today undeniably has higher stock value.
As a country, Bangladesh has been enamoured by the South American nation since the days of the legendary Maradona. Perhaps it was due to his vanquishing of the English, perhaps it was due to his vocally leftist views, perhaps it was just the way he played the game. But there is no doubt that this is a love affair that has been long and unbending. Today against Nigeria, it will finally be consummated. The least we could do is be there for it.

-With The Daily Star input

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Messi mania grips Dhaka

Admin — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 03:47:22 +0000

The look of pure unadulterated joy in Mirza Ahmad’s face said it all.
“Can I hug you? Can I?” he asked repeatedly to the beefy Argentinean team member who had kindly volunteered to reward Mirza’s vigil by getting superstar Lionel Messi to sign Mirza’s Argentina shirt.
Mirza was the highlight of the fifty odd brave souls who tried out every perceivable trick in the book to tip-toe around the joint efforts of the stringent police force and the immovable hotel staff at the Ruposhi Bangla hotel to get his hands on an absolutely prized possession.
“I can die happy now,” screamed Mirza and when you saw just how overcome with emotion he was, you would readily forgive his excesses.
“This is something I will pass on to my children,” said Mirza and for a second his force of will made you transcend the border into his world.
“Do you know how long I have supported Argentina? As a young kid I was crying when Maradona was expelled from USA 94. Ever since then, I have been waiting for his second coming.
“There were so many false messiahs, Ortega, Saviola, Riquelme, but Messi… he is the real deal…the Messiah,” says Mirza.
Mirza’s vigil is unique. He is not really a young fanatic. In his 20s, he is working in the Bank of America in South Carolina. By day then, he is a demure banker, all prim and proper. This is his alter-ego; a raw, passionate football fan, whose lifeblood is Argentina and consequently Maradona and Messi.
It is a passion that saw him strategically plan a holiday from the USA around the scheduled friendly against Nigeria and if anything, his own journey has been far longer than the miles he has clocked up on the airplane. And it was a journey not yet completed.
“I plan to spend the night at the hotel. I am going to meet Messi come hell or high water,” he said late last night. Given what he has achieved, who would doubt his determination?
The obsession with Messi was not just limited to Mirza. If anything he was just the tip of the iceberg. There was the young student from Chittagong Grammar School (CGS) who had made the trip up north with his father and was staying at the hotel. He was waiting amongst fifty others at the hotel, camera in hand praying for the right opportunity to snap a photo of his beloved stars.
Bangladesh’s obsession with Argentina is not really a well-documented fact as far as the world media goes. But with almost half of the 160 million people effectively swearing by the colours of the Albiceleste, there is the unique possibility that there are more Argentina fans in Bangladesh than there are in Argentina.
The seeds of this love affair was perhaps sown on a lovely June night in 1986. On that day, Bangladesh was a young nation; barely sixteen. They did not have many heroes, least of all sporting ones, but even as the sun rose to signal the start of another day they had found one: a stocky, curly-haired little magician with a divine left foot and a cheating right hand which had just done the English. Following that win in the World Cup of 1986 over England, Maradona’s position in the pantheon of Bangladeshi sporting heroes was complete.
It is a pedestal he holds to this day. Messi then is Maradona’s true heir; a player with the ability to charm and make others fall in love with the game and for the millions who had idolised Maradona’s every move, Messi is just an extension of that admiration and love.
But just when you thought that the love by Bangladeshis would sweep you away, you meet someone like Scott. A wiry Australian who has a business in Thailand, he made the trip west with a bag full of memorabilia. He has been following the Argentina team around for a number of years, most notably during the World Cup in South Africa in 2010. For him, this would be just another trip with the team he holds so close to his heart.
For the others though, this presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and even the hours of wait did nothing to dampen their excitement. And as Mirza would attest, good things come to those who wait.

-With The Daily Star input

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Messi in Dhaka

Admin — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 15:23:32 +0000

The Argentina national football team arrived in Dhaka Monday morning ahead of their international friendly against Super Eagle Nigeria scheduled for Tuesday.
Led by superstar Lionel Messi, the Argentina team landed at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 11:00am, amid tight security.
The team was received by 40 former Bangladeshi footballers at the airport.
Thousands of football fans also thronged at the airport to welcome Messi and his team.
The FIFA international friendly match will take place at the Bangabandhu National Stadium Tuesday evening.
During their two-day tour in Dhaka, Argentina will stay at the Ruposhi Bangla Hotel.
After a month plagued by controversy, misinformation and belated changes of schedule, the dream of a million Bangladeshis came true.
The country will get the first chance to glimpse the South American stars when they gather for the open training session to be held at the Bangabandhu National Stadium at 6:30pm Monday.
Following the training session in the evening, Argentina will attend an official dinner at the Ruposhi Bangla Hotel for a section of invited guests and officials only.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria football team including Chelsea star John Obi Mikel will also arrive in the capital in the afternoon.
The Africans will head straight for their accommodation at the Westin Hotel in Gulshan. They have not scheduled any practice sessions for today but will be part of the official dinner along with the Argentina squad in the evening.

-With The Daily Star input

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Match sure, all else up in the air

Admin — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 18:54:35 +0000

A lack of a decisive decision from the Celebrity Management Group (CMG), the Kolkata-based event management firm that is brokering the Argentina friendly match in Bangladesh is threatening to put the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) in a real mess.
“At the moment the only thing that I can say is that the match between Argentina and Nigeria will take place at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on September 6. But apart from that I can’t confirm other things including the open practice session of Argentina that has been slated for September 4 or the official dinner on the same day,” said a visibly frustrated BFF president Kazi Salahuddin at his Motijheel office yesterday.
The inexplicable delay has already deprived the BFF of earning quite a significant amount as the sponsor of the official dinner has backed out of their deal. And if a decision over the open practice session is further delayed, the BFF is set to face another significant setback. In this situation the worst fear is that if the open training session of Argentina, scheduled to take place the Fatullah Stadium, is eventually cancelled then many football fans, who could not afford to buy expensive match-day tickets, will miss the chance to catch a glimpse of football sensation Lionel Messi for a less expensive price.
The BFF boss looked at a loss after being confronted with a volley of questions from reporters who even feared that Argentina might not arrive in Dhaka on September 3 from Kolkata. Many referred to news from across the border that cited that Argentina might only come to Dhaka on September 5, the day that Nigeria will also fly into the capital.
“As far as I’m concerned, Argentina will come to Dhaka on September 3. It is true that we are now sitting on the edge over the delay of the decision. But we are maintaining constant communications with the CMG, said Salahuddin. He also added that the CMG was having a meeting with Argentina, who arrived in Kolkata yesterday morning to play their first international friendly against Venezuela at the Salt Lake Stadium on September 3.
But the long wait seemed unbearable and the mood was rightly portrayed at the BFF Bhaban where a tinge of uncertainty prevailed despite frantic activities on a day that happened to be the last working day before the country goes on Eid vacation.
The BFF boss, who had to endure a lot of hassles ever since he signed the agreement with CMG over the high-profile Argentina-Nigeria international football friendly, however, put up a brave face in the adversity.
Asked how long he is going wait for a decision, the BFF boss replied philosophically.
“As long as my patience holds,” he said.
“I’m not sure whether I would say that I feel betrayed. But everything I have done including the tripartite deal that involved Beximco, the BFF and the CMG was done in good faith. It was a very simple deal where our demand was an open practice of Argentina and an official dinner on the sidelines of the match. And we did not even consider about any penalty clause because we never thought that things would be as complicated as it now stands,” said the hapless BFF boss.
It has been a battle against the tide for Salahuddin, who considered that a Messi-led Argentina trip to Bangladesh for the first time, would be a dream comes true for our football. Things had not been as rosy as he expected with response from ticket sales not up to the mark. The high price for tickets might be a reason for the lukewarm response, but there were other problems over meeting the desired standard of venues with an advance team of Argentina clearly showing dissatisfaction over the facilities of the BNS and Fathullah. However, a late renovation work is set to fulfill the demand for the desired standard.
“It has been a hell of a struggle. But I won’t mind that if my dream is fulfilled. It is just not bringing Messi or Argentina to Bangladesh. It is about showing the world that this is a better place to play football. Besides, I’m excited about the fact that this match will open up the door for a golden generation of footballers in our country,” said Salahuddin.

-With The Daily Star input

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