It has been three years since a district or divisional football league match was last played at Muktijuddho Smrity Stadium in Rajshahi. The last time an international match – the AFC Under-19 Championship Qualifiers - took place was more than a decade ago.
After a long hiatus, football fever is returning to one of the seven divisions of the country. Following two weeks of preparation work, the venue in the north-western district got into shape and is all set to host the Fifa international friendly match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka today.
Ticket sale has been no different than Sylhet and Jessore as interest among the locals is sky-high. The organisers, however, could not give an exact idea of the stadium’s capacity and the number of tickets they have put up for sale. Rajshahi District Sports Association (DSA) general secretary Rafius Shams Paddy informed that around 18,000 tickets have already been sold till yesterday morning out of a total capacity of 22,000. Rajshahi District Football Association general secretary Sirajul Islam Siraj on the other hand said they have printed 25,000 tickets and most of them have been sold out.
The stadium, however, has better fencing that will keep the spectators away from the playing area. The ongoing renovation work will require three more months while there is also no dressing room in the venue. The office room of Rajshahi District Women’s Sports Association and the meeting room of DSA will be used as dressing rooms for today’s match.