The Bangladesh Under-16 football team, who recently lifted the 2015 Saff Under-16 Championship title for the first time following their penalty shootout win over India in the final, will undergo a four-year skill development camp under the supervision of the Bangladesh Football Federation. The young footballers will be provided all kinds of support in order to bring out the best of their ability, assured BFF president Kazi Salahuddin in yesterday’s felicitation programme at the Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club ground.
“These young booters have ended the country’s long wait by winning the Saff Championship. They have gifted the country with joy and an occasion to celebrate. I do not have enough words to congratulate them. The only thing I would like to say is that the BFF has taken the initiative to prepare these young footballers for the future. They will undergo a four-year camp, starting very soon. The BFF will be responsible for their lodging, food and daily allowance,” Salahuddin told the media during the felicitation ceremony.
Salahuddin further informed that the camp will be held in the BFF Academy in Sylhet right after the conclusion of the 2016 AFC U-16 Championship qualifiers next month. Hosts Bangladesh will entertain Group D rivals Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in the qualifiers, spanning from September 16-20.
“The young footballers will be taken to the Sylhet academy right after the AFC qualifiers. We hope that we would be able to provide them state-of-the-art training facilities. I hope these players will not only shine in the country but also hold Bangladesh’s flag high in the international circuit,” said Salauddin.
Bangladesh U-16 captain and midfielder Mohammad Shawon was ecstatic and humbled with the felicitation programme.
“These type of programmes make us realise that the football arena of the country expects a lot more from us. I believe the footballers of this U-16 team would be able to go miles, provided we get proper facilities and training,” said Shawon.
Bangladesh U-16 head coach Syed Golam Jilani on the other hand said it is quite important for the BFF to keep the young footballers motivated for further success.
“We should make sure that they do not perish from the game. That should be the responsibility of the football federation and others concerned. We have enough talent in the team and our job should be to groom them for the upcoming days,” said Jilani.
DBL Group awarded Tk10,000 to each player and official of the triumphant U-16 team while top-flight champions Sheikh Jamal presented crests. Sheikh Jamal president Manjur Kader and BFF vice president Abdus Salam Murshedi were present among others in the programme.