AFC boss Sheikh Salman: Bangladesh must improve club football

Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al Khalifa Monday said Bangladesh must improve its club football in order to enhance the prospect of the national side. Sheikh Salman, who also happens to be the vice president of world football’s governing body Fifa, informed that without a sound club football structure, Bangladesh can’t improve their fortune in the international tournaments. “Without the development of teams within the club level you can’t have a strong national team. We can’t expect the national association to have the responsibility to progress the game. It depends on the club themselves also. It is not just the first team. It depends on your base and your club structures and how you want to develop the grassroot because at the end of the day, they are the futures of your team,” Sheikh Salman told the media in Dhaka. “When I was Bahrain FA (Football Association) president in 1996, (Germany’s) Otto Pfister was Bangladesh coach and we had to work hard to get a result against Bangladesh. I am sure this can be repeated because the talents are here. “Your teams have been participating in all AFC competitions which showed your commitment in developing the sports in the country. We are working with you and your administration to see what can be done. We have seen the progress, there is always more to be done. Three mini-pitches have already been approved by Fifa. I think the best is yet to come,” he said during his two-day visit in the Bangladesh capital. He added, “Three mini pitches will be ready very soon and I hope they will be asking for more because a country like Bangladesh where there is so much rain, this type of pitch will help them rolling football round the year. When there will be any request, we will try to provide them.” Meanwhile, BFF president Kazi Salahuddin said, “I consider the president of the AFC as a brother and friend of mine and Bangladesh as a nation. Any time I reached him, the problem was solved in two minutes. This is the kind of friend that is hard to find in the world. He is one of the most decent human beings I have ever come across.