National defender Topu Barman will bear two weeks’ food cost for 19 female footballers of Narayanganj Promila Football Academy through Bangladesh Football Federation, starting from Friday.
The Bashundhara Kings center-back was made aware of the 19 vulnerable families who have been affected by the pandemic situation through the BFF officials, and decided to take two weeks’ responsibility of the academy booters.
According to a BFF official, maximum players belong to age-group between 15 to 19 and some eight players played for three different clubs in the Women’s Football League, which has been postponed for a month and a half after only five rounds due to Covid-19.
It was also learnt that there were “some players who [had] knocked” the federation for help during the countrywide lockdown.
“Most of their fathers have no work now,” said Hasan Mahmud, assistant competitions head of BFF, after handing over donation to the players in the presence of Azmat Khondokar, academy president and sports secretary Asia Khatun Bithi.
“We asked [Topu] for maximum cost but he wanted to donate in full. We distributed rice, lentil, oil, potato, onion, vegetable and small amount of money for their conveyance for 14 days.”
I think maybe going forward some clubs will struggle to survive in Bangladesh because of this and also we may see only Bangladesh players playing the premier league in the future which in a way will have benefit to local players.https://t.co/vgPtdgLC19#FOOTBALL #BANGLADESH #BFF
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) April 24, 2020
Topu also sponsored a week’s food cost of 200 families of his locality through his ward councilor of Narayanganj.
The distribution was done at the city’s Gymkhana Alauddin Khan Stadium.
“I feel lucky to help the female footballers of Promila Football Academy,” said Topu, the highest-paid defender of the Bangladesh Premier League, through a video message Friday.
“Please follow the directions of government and health departments. Everybody stay home, be safe and be happy. We should maintain social distancing and those who are capable can stretch helping hand to the neighboring ones who are struggling in the lockdown.”
Earlier, Mamunul Islam, national midfielder of Abahani Limited, sponsored some helpless families of Chittagong local league footballers, while Bangladesh ODI captain Tamim Iqbal stretched his helping hands for some 91 sportspersons, including many athletes.
