Brazil match will not transform Bangladesh football, says Aminul

Bringing Brazil to Bangladesh for a football friendly is not a priority while the country is struggling with electricity and other essential sectors, State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque said on Tuesday, while acknowledging that such a match would be a major occasion for the country's football fans.

Speaking after distributing certificates to boxing coaches at the Mohammad Ali Boxing Stadium, Haque said the government was not inclined to spend public money on staging a single football match at a time when it was facing high expenses in areas such as power and energy.

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"At this moment, we do not have the mindset or any occasion within us for the government to make this kind of expenditure on our behalf, because, as you know, we ourselves are having to bear much higher expenses across various sectors, including electricity and fuel,” Haque told reporters.

A five-member delegation from the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) visited Bangladesh on Sunday, inspecting the National Stadium and Bashundhara Kings Arena, as well as several hotels, to assess the possibility of hosting a Brazil-Bangladesh friendly or using a Bangladeshi venue as a neutral ground for Brazil.

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has described the visit as a positive development and said further discussions with the CBF could take place after the Brazilian delegation submits its assessment.

Haque, however, believes the arrival of Brazil would have limited impact on the long-term development of Bangladesh football.

“We believe if the Brazil football team come here to play against Bangladesh, it will be a major achievement for Bangladesh football. However, I am not very optimistic about how much Bangladesh football will actually progress because of this match,” he said.

He acknowledged the significance of the proposed fixture for supporters, saying it could fulfil the dreams of Bangladeshi fans of seeing their national team face one of the world's most celebrated football nations.

“A match against Brazil might fulfil the dreams of Bangladeshi spectators that Bangladesh played against world champions like Brazil. From the perspective of the passion of the country’s football-loving people, fans will certainly enjoy it. But I don't believe that just because Brazil plays here, Bangladesh's football will be transformed,” Haque said.

BFF executive committee member Shakhawat Hossain Bhuiyan Shahin said the federation would seek government assistance if the proposal moved forward. Haque indicated that such support would depend largely on the BFF securing sponsorship.

“If they can manage sponsorships from various sources to pull it off, then perhaps we will extend overall support from our end on behalf of the government,” he said.

Haque also stressed that the proposed match remains at a very preliminary stage.

“The discussion of holding a friendly match against Brazil is at a very preliminary stage. I spoke with BFF president Tabith Awal and we only had that basic preliminary discussion,” he said.

“How much of the expenses will need to be borne, and the related matters, there hasn't been any open discussion about those yet. Once discussions happen, we will try to see how it can be implemented.”