Kathmandu: The biggest football tournament in South Asia was set to be held in September. However, due to the Kovid-19 epidemic, it is still doubtful that it will be cleared again this year.
The SAAF is scheduled for September 14-24 in Bangladesh. But due to the Corona epidemic, the chances of it happening on a clear date are diminishing.
SAAF had proposed to move the championship a little further when discussing the championship with the member nations two years ago. It was proposed to do so from August 31 to September 7.
Similarly, Saaf had given the Bangladesh Football Federation a deadline till today to give its decision on the championship. Now that the Bangladesh Football Federation has given its final decision, further process will be discussed, Saaf general secretary Anwarul Haque Hela told online news.
Kazi Salahuddin, president of the Bangladesh Football Federation, who is also the president of SAAF, said that the organization of the SAAF championship is still uncertain.
In an interview with Bangladesh’s online Daily Star, Salahuddin said that it was not possible to say right now because of the Corona epidemic, the sponsors and the problem of the project site.
‘Because of the lockdown and the epidemic, no country has yet been able to say anything with confidence. For example, Bhutan is not in a position to come out of its country now. There is a similar economic downturn. Even those who promised to sponsor us are now waiting for us. The situation is now precarious because the situation is not as it was promised, ”Salahuddin told the Daily Star.
When asked about the possibility of organizing such a clean champion, Salauddin said that it cannot be said now. “I can’t answer now because no one has told us no. Everyone has told me to wait and see in this situation. No one has guaranteed us that is the problem. ‘
The venue of the clean project also needs to be shifted. As the stadium in Dhama is under reconstruction, the issue of shifting the championship to Sylhet was discussed earlier between the SAAF Secretary General and the member nations. According to the Daily Star, no one disagreed on the issue.
“Economic problems are not the only problem now. There are other problems as well. Such as travel restrictions, quarantine. If the government can’t solve these problems because of the current epidemic, it will be very difficult to organize a fair championship, ” the Daily Star quoted him as saying.
Although Salahuddin was positive about organizing the SAAF Championship, he said that if it could not be organized in August-September, it would be less likely to be organized this year. “If we don’t organize a fair in August-September, the chances of a clean championship are slim. We don’t have a stadium in Dhaka. This is the problem. We will have to make a final decision this month about a clean championship, ”said Salahuddin.
Nepal has also shown interest in the project in the absence of a clear plan in Bangladesh. All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) has already made a proposal to SAAF for a clean project.
After the Bangladesh Football Federation gave its decision today, other procedures will be discussed, said Helal.
Nepal has already started closed training targeting SAAF. In the initial phase, 50 players were in training. Head coach Abdullah Almutairi has removed 14 players in the first phase and put 36 players in training.
