Probe report to be discussed?
As the executive committee of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) sit for a meeting at the federation headquarters today, all the focus will be on whether the probe committee report on the SAFF Suzuki Cup debacle of the national team is discussed at length and whether any decisions are made regarding the report. Even though the report -- submitted to the BFF president last week before being forwarded to the National Teams Committee (NTC) -- is not in the official agenda of the meeting, it is likely to make it to discussions, according to an official of the federation.
The report made some damning allegations against a number of players and made recommendations to remove some senior players from the side. Suspended winger Zahid Hossain, who was withdrawn midway through the Bangabandhu Gold Cup after being found to have taken alcohol the night before a match, has been recommended to be suspended from the national team for up to five years, according to a source inside the federation. The report also recommended suspending a junior player for one year due to his involvement in immoral activities while also questioning the place in the side of five senior players.
With the national team making humiliating group-stage exits from the SAFF Suzuki Cup and the Bangabandhu Gold Cup in the space of three weeks, and the ensuing allegations against the players regarding their commitment and discipline, it will be interesting to see what sort of measures the NTC, which has been expanded in the wake of the two debacles, come out with in the coming days.
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