Alam Zeb Safi
KARACHI: World football governing body FIFA has turned down Bangladesh’s request to relocate the away leg of their World Cup qualifier against Pakistan from Lahore to Dhaka due to security reasons, Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) President Kazi Salahuddin said on Monday.
“During the FIFA congress in Zurich earlier this month, we requested them to allow us to play both legs in Dhaka. But they did not agree,” Kazi told reporters in Dhaka.
“Expense was one of our issues. Also we were concerned as our coach was reluctant to travel to Pakistan on security grounds,” the BFF chief said.
Bangladesh will play Pakistan in their away leg of the World Cup 2014 qualifiers in Lahore on July 3 while the first leg will be hosted by Dhaka on June 29.
There are reports that Bangladesh’s Croatian coach Robert Rubcic left Dhaka on June 2 and has not been in contact with his bosses since.
“His concern to travel to Pakistan may be one of the reasons that he does not want to return,” Salahuddin said.
Interestingly, the BFF has not shown any such reservations before the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF).
“We met with the BFF chief in Zurich and also had words with him four days ago but he did not mention any such thing,” PFF secretary Col Ahmed Yar Lodhi told ‘The News’ on Monday.
“Most recently, the Malaysian team has played a game of the Olympic qualifiers in Lahore and before them Palestine had also played a match here during their two-match tour to Pakistan,” Lodhi said.
“We will give Bangladesh the kind of security which we had given to Malaysia. Punjab government had extended full support to the PFF during the match against Malaysia and again we have written to it for the provision of fool-proof security for the game against Bangladesh and we are confident that there would be no stone unturned in providing security to the foreign team.”
Bangladesh will arrive in Lahore on July 1 for their return-leg.
The distance between the hotel, where Bangladeshi team will be boarded after their arrival in Lahore, is just five kilometres away from the Punjab Stadium and security provision during their vehicular movement is also not a matter of concern.
Only last month, a 14-member judo team of Bangladesh featured in the South Asian Judo Championship in Islamabad.
Rubcic concerns, though, seem to be a little over-rated.
In spite of the volatile security environment, Austrian football coach George Kottan, now working as AFC Future Coaches Director, worked with the Pakistan team from February 2009 to February 2010 without facing any security problem. In October and November last year, former English footballer Graham Roberts, now serving as Nepal coach, also served Pakistan team for two months as a consultant during the team’s preparations for the Asian Games.
Michel van den Heuvel, Pakistan’s Dutch coach is working with the Pakistan hockey team quite freely.
New football coach within two weeks
Bangladesh Football Federation is likely to appoint a foreign coach before the national team’s World Cup pre-qualifying match against Pakistan at home on June 29 as the game’s governing body have all but given up hope on Croat coach Robert Rubcic’s return.
“We have so far failed to make any direct contact with Rubcic (Monday) so that we have almost closed the chapter of Rubcic. We are however hopeful about roping in a foreign coach before our home match against Pakistan,” said Badal Roy after a meeting of the National Team Management Committee (NTMC) yesterday.
Rubcic left Bangladesh on June 2 without prior notice and the NTMC chairman, Badal Roy communicated with Rubcic’s agent but failed to reach the coach, who was not paid his last four months’ salaries.
It has also been learnt that Rubcic appealed to FIFA to get his unpaid wages but the BFF officials informed that they have yet to get any notice from the world football’s governing body even though they are ready to clear Rubcic’s wages.
Hasanuzzaman Khan Bablu, a member of NTMC though refuted the ground of such complaint from Rubcic, saying: “We were prepared to clear his (Rubcic’s) wages, but could not since he left here without letting us know and without resigning his post. Then what could be his reason for complaint?”
Roy informed that they have short-listed two European coaches for the national team both of whom have better coaching profile than Rubcic.
The NTMC also decided to start the national camp from June 22 as most of national team’s players, who play for Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, will be available for the camp after that date. Assistant coaches Golam Zilani and Mahbubur Rahman Roxy will conduct the training cam until a new coach is appointed.
Accepting the blame for not giving enough time to prepare the national team ahead of pre-qualifiers, Roy said that some unplanned fixtures, nation-wide strikes from political parties and inclement weather left little time for the national team to prepare.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh-born Danish booter Jamal Bhuiyan arrived in Dhaka on Sunday after his call-up for the 27-member preliminary squad earlier.
“We will introduce him tomorrow (Tuesday) to the coaches. We have planned to arrange training for Jamal with the clubs’ as we are yet to start the national camp,” said Roy.
NTMC member Imtiaz Sultan Jonny said, “We will get an idea about how talented he is after seeing those training sessions.”
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=189879
Pakistan should have hired a foreign coach aswell. We had Tom Saintfeit offering us, but we turned him down, and he was guaranteeing results against Bangladesh and said that we could probably beat Lebanon aswell.
This is what those corrupt politicians have done to my country….
not just corrupt politicians, but also the ones in the security apparatus (army, police, intelligence etc) that have bred religious fanaticism and terrorism to thrive!
Agree !!!
rubcic did not want to go Pakistan,I think it is BFF made up story,Rubcic left bd without telling bff due to pay issue.BFF have to tell something to media divert attention. Now they are getting new foreign coach from macedonia Gjore Jovanovski. I think he is better then rubcic, but what he will do with 2 days training,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gjore_Jovanovski
@ Kamruzzaman…. Are you from the Bangladesh team?
Its just that your name seems familiar…
BFF closes Rubcic chapter
Dhaka, June 14: Bangladesh Football Federation officially closed the Robert Rubcic chapter declaring Macedonian Gjorgji Jovanovski as the new national coach of Bangladesh football team on Tuesday.
In a crowded press briefing held at the BFF House, Badal Roy, the chairman of the National Team Management Committee buried the bucket. “We have tried our best to reach and make a communication with Robert Rubcic, the Croatian coach of the national team but he never responded, we urged him to receive all the due money we owe to him, but in a shocking note I regret to say that all of our efforts went in vein, he also avoided the agent so we can say Robert Rubcic chapter with BFF has come to an end” said Badal also the vice president of BFF.
“If there was any dispute he would have disclosed it to us, we can say that we were satisfied with Rubcic and there was no complain against him from our side, he was a perfect gentleman” added Badal.
Badal at the same time disclosed former Macedonian national coach Gjorgji Jovanovski will take over the helm. “He is a high profile coach and we have every hope that he will be serving with distinction, he will be arriving on 20th June and we will finalise the contract after his arrival” said Badal.
Rubcic who signed a one year deal with BFF last September departed to Croatia on June 2 and till date has refrained to communicate with BFF.
Profile of GJORGJI JOVANOVSKI
Maan…. how fast they arranged a replacement coach… only in 18 days, the Macedonian coach will be in Bangladesh.
Look at that PFF. take the foreign coach policy seriously, even Bangladesh takes these things seriously.
BFF has money thanks to pro-active links with local sponsors and government.
PFF has very little money thanks to lack of all the above!
Arif injured in practice match
By our correspondent
KARACHI: Pakistan’s experienced striker Arif Mehmood suffered from a knee injury during a practice game against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad on Monday.
He was roughly tackled from behind by a KRL defender during the warm-up game in connection with the preparations for the World Cup qualifiers against Bangladesh.
“It is yet to be known how much serious the injury is,” team physiotherapist Dr Kamran Mehdi told ‘The News’ on Tuesday.
“We are taking some time, and then X-ray and if needed MRI will be conducted and the report will make it clear about the intensity of the injury,” he said.
Pakistan are yet to announce the final 18-member squad for the qualifiers and if Arif’s injury is serious, it would be a serious blow to the Greenshirts who take on Bangladesh in the qualifiers on June 29 and July 3 in Dhaka and Lahore respectively.
naya bahanaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa