Litu and Ananya have been married to each other for five years now and are the assistant coaches of the Bangladesh U-16 women’s football team. Not only with the young girls, they also have a great understanding with head coach Golam Rabbani Choton. It was in the middle of June this year. Bangladesh started their camp ahead of the just-concluded AFC U-16 Women’s Championship 2017 Qualifiers and eight players from the camp caught viral fever. Ananya was the only senior member around to give support to the girls during the nights. “Eight players got sick and I lost all my sleep. I was in my home and I remember calling Ananya at 2am in the night. The way she supported the girls at that time, it was no less than what a mother does for her daughter. She was always with the girls,” said an emotional Choton yesterday. “All the time, she was looking after the girls and all their problems. She also assisted during training. Litu is also excellent. I can’t express their contribution in words. I’m kind of a tough person and the girls may be afraid to talk [both Choton and captain Krishna Rani Sarkar breaking out in laughter] but Litu and Ananya filled the communication gap with the girls,” Choton added. While the head coach was talking, Krishna was also behind him and added, “They (Litu and Ananya) support us all the time. For instance, some of us girls caught fever during the camp. She did everything for us, including bringing medicine. She woke us up every morning and took us to the dining. Sir [Litu] look after us on the field while Ananya handles the personal problems.” It is a rule of the Asian Football Confederation that every girls’ team should have a female coach, which brought Ananya to the scene. She earned her C license in 2014 and has been with the team during their title-winning campaigns in the AFC U14 Girls’ Regional (South and Central) Championships in Nepal and Tajikistan. Holding a B license, Litu, who played for Victoria, Agrani Bank and Brothers Union in the domestic league, has been with different women’s football teams since 2010, including the South Asian Football Federation Women’s Championship. She teamed up with her wife before the U-16 campaign once again. The couple were over the moon following the young girls’ historic qualification to the final round of the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship 2017. “If Bangladesh ever play in a World Cup, these girls will be there. I’m with the girls for quite a while and I’m very much hopeful,” said Litu after Bangladesh beat the United Arab Emirates yesterday. “I’ve been with the girls since 2014 and it feels really great that we achieved amazing results in every tournament we played in. They are improving every day. They will go a very long way. I hope they will prove more people wrong in world football,” said Ananya, who was unable to control her elation.
Sunday, July 19, 2026
