Football continues to be one of the world’s most-followed sports, and at the heart of every successful team stands a strong coach whose tactics and planning shape the game. However, the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has long struggled to recruit top-tier coaches due to financial limitations. Now, the Ministry of Youth and Sports is preparing to step in and assist.
“𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒂 𝒃𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒐𝒑-𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔.”
During the virtual inauguration of the Upazila Stadium today, Youth and Sports Advisor Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan announced the ministry’s intention to provide financial backing to help the BFF secure elite coaching talent.
“We are trying to provide them with support or a fund so that money does not become an obstacle in bringing in high-quality coaches,” said the advisor.
In the global football landscape, coaching salaries in developed nations can exceed the entire annual budget of the BFF, creating a significant competitive gap. Asif acknowledged this difference but emphasized the need to adapt realistically.
“The money that big teams in Europe pay to coaches is probably equal to our full annual budget at the BFF. We may not reach that level now, but we are working to ensure funding doesn’t block the recruitment of top coaches,” he added.
Sports Ministry Weighs Funding Options for BFF
Although the sports ministry operates on a limited budget, Asif outlined possible pathways to secure the necessary funds.
“𝑾𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝒇𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒍 𝒃𝒖𝒅𝒈𝒆𝒕.”
According to him, “Either we will take it from the finance ministry or take an initiative to provide a fund to the BFF from the youth festival allocation. For the national championship, we have already provided 10 crore taka.”
This financial uncertainty comes at a strategic moment. Current national team head coach Javier Cabrera, from Spain, has a contract that runs until March. With Bangladesh unlikely to qualify for the Asia Cup, discussions about his replacement have already begun.
When asked whether Cabrera is set to depart, Asif said:
“𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝑩𝑭𝑭’𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒓𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕, 𝒘𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒃𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒌𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔 — 𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒔.”
BFF Financial Crisis Improving, Says Advisor
Despite being one of Bangladesh’s most influential sports federations, the BFF has faced long-standing financial struggles, including accusations of irregularities. Asif insisted these issues have improved significantly over the past year.
“In the past, due to financial irregularities, FIFA stopped its funding. But under the current BFF leadership, that funding has been restored,” he said.
He also highlighted promising revenue gains: “These matches are now played with audience attendance, and BFF has earned over 40 million taka from the last three games.”
Advisor Eyes National Elections Amid Ongoing Football Plans
Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan has expressed his intention to participate in the national elections, sparking speculation that he may resign before the election schedule is finalized. With limited time left, it remains to be seen whether he can secure financial upgrades for BFF coaches and women footballers before stepping down.
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