The Technical Director is one of the most decisive roles in modern football, responsible for shaping long-term vision, youth development, and playing philosophy. However, at the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), the role continues to raise serious questions as no clear roadmap has yet emerged.
Former national footballer and coach Saiful Bari Titu’s tenure as BFF Technical Director officially ended on December 31, but the federation has extended his contract for another year. Since Tabith Awal became BFF president, Titu’s tenure has now been extended three times—two six-month renewals followed by a one-year extension.
Extension Raises Fresh Doubts Over Technical Vision
Last June, while announcing a six-month extension, Technical Committee Chairman Kamrul Islam Hilton said BFF was searching for a foreign director. Six months later, no such appointment was made. Instead, Titu’s term was extended again—fueling debate over whether the federation has any structured strategy at all.
Former BFF Director Paul Smalley, despite years in charge and heavy financial investment, also failed to leave behind a defined technical blueprint. Critics argue the role has remained limited to coaching courses and seminars rather than research-based football planning.
Titu himself dismissed contract length as an excuse, saying:
“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒐 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑨 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.”
Yet, no documented plan from the last two years has been made public.
Calls Grow for a Sustainable Football Roadmap
Former national star Syed Rumman bin Wali Faisal believes the lack of direction is holding Bangladeshi football back:
“𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒂 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆’𝒔 𝒏𝒐 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔.”
While decisions such as allowing foreign players in women’s football and regional local players in domestic leagues require detailed technical studies, no official reports have been presented by the Director’s office. Observers also note that manpower shortages have weakened the department from within.
Looking ahead, Titu says his focus for the coming year will be improving nationwide football connectivity, while the Technical Committee claims it plans to implement 32 programs in the next 12 months.
Whether these initiatives translate into a real technical masterplan remains to be seen.
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