BFF seeks Purbachal land for dedicated stadium

Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has placed a proposal to the youth and sports ministry seeking 15 acres of land in Purbachal to construct an exclusive football stadium, similar to the cricket stadium Bangladesh Cricket Board built in the same area.

“BFF has formally applied for land to construct a dedicated football stadium,” state minister for youth and sports Aminul Haque told reporters after the inauguration of the National Cycling Championships at the National Stadium on Thursday.

“Since a large area in Purbachal has already been allocated for cricket, the Football Federation has submitted proposals to secure a similar land allocation in Purbachal for football,” he added.

A delegation headed by BFF president Tabith Awal met Aminul at the ministry to discuss the waiver of a Tk 8 crore government charge in a bid to build a FIFA-funded Excellence Centre in Cox’s Bazar, while discussions regarding the appointment of the head coach for the Bangladesh national football team also emerged during the meeting.

“There were comprehensive discussions regarding the establishment of a FIFA-funded Excellence Centre in Cox’s Bazar, focusing on how quickly we can commence the project. Besides, we discussed the status of those three venues we allocated to them verbally. They also updated me about the search for the new coach for the national football team, and we assured them that we are with them,” said Haque, adding that he would discuss all matters with the Honourable Prime Minister to resolve them quickly.

When contacted, the BFF president told The Daily Star: “It was a continuation of ongoing issues we have spoken to the ministry about -- waiver or assistance regarding the Tk 8 crore charged against the land in Cox’s Bazar to develop the FIFA Technical Centre.

“We proposed the idea of acquiring more than 15 acres of land and building a new stadium in Purbachal. We also discussed the MoU process for Sylhet, Chittagong and Kamalapur stadiums.”

Replying to a query, he also informed that they had updated the minister on the process of appointing a new coach for the national football team.