BFF launches Bangladesh football academy in Sylhet
Finance Minister AMA Muhith ensured all possible assistance from his ministry and a fund for the development of the country’s football while he inaugurated the Football Academy in Sylhet yesterday.
Muhith accompanied with four other ministers – Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, State Minister for Finance Abdul Mannan, State Minister for Youth and Sports Biren Sikdar, Deputy Minister Arif Khan Joy, unveiled the plaque of the academy as the chief guest. FIFA representatives Shaji Pravakaran, development officer of FIFA of the South Asian region and Vaithilingam Subraminam, FFIA technical officer were also present.
BFF president Kazi Mohammed Salahuddin in his address said, “After 42 years of our independence we have come to success to set up a football academy.”
“To run the academy we need Tk four crores in a year to run the academy, but I don’t want any grant of Tk two or four crores but I extremely appeal to the government for a budget for the development of football.”
“You see there is a budget for the development for every sector and I think there should also a budget for the development of football”
“Now in the world economy football plays an important role, specially, in Europe, I can tell that after four or five years our football will also able to play a vital character in our economy with producing skilled players, who will be able to play in Europe.”
“We have a grant of half a million US Dollars from FIFA, which we have to spend to run the administration, some programme of national teams but we can’t do real activities for the development of football. We have to scouting to pick up the talented footballers from Under -12, 13, 14, 16 but due to lack of enough fund we can’t do it properly.”
“Now like to request to the finance minister to grant a budget for the development of football.”
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said that he attended the function just to keep the request of Kazi Mohammed Salahuddin.
“I am here just to advocacy on behalf of Salahuddin to the finance minister to make a budge of Taka 20 crore for the development of football.”
“I believe that if I recommend to Salahuddin’s request, finance minister could not overlook it. If can make a budget of Taka 2,50,000 crore for the national development, so why not we can provide a budget of Taka 20 crore to bring the country’s football to international standard.”
The finance minister did not also ignore the proposal of Tofail and the appeal of Salahuddin but to say might be we not fulfill the full demand, I will provide all possible support and will make a budget for the development of football.”
Meanwhile, the FFIA development officer Pravakaran announced that they will provide an Astroturf for the academy by May-June 2015.
http://www.theindependentbd.com/inde...ball&Itemid=88