Champions ‘returning home with smiles’

The SAFF-winning women's team received cash awards from different corporate houses ahead of Bengali New Year and Eid-ul-Adha and it may have somewhat soothed the collective wound from being barred from taking part in the qualifiers of the 2024 Paris Olympics due to the financial limitation of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF). 

Envoy Group, one of leading export-oriented garment factories, was the last corporate house to hand over their promised Tk 50 lakh and they also promised to stay with the country's women's football by floating a club or franchise team in future.

Abdus Salam Murshedy, Envoy Group managing director and also the BFF senior vice-president, and Ismam Salam, son of Murshedy and Envoy Group director, together handed over the cheque to the players and officials.  "We are really sorry for being late in handing over the promised awards that our Envoy Group chairman Sharmin Salam gave right after the SAFF Women's Championship triumph. I think the girls brought laurels for the nation and took the country's football ahead as well," said Murshedy at the BFF House yesterday.

"It is a matter of great happiness for us to get the money before going home for Eid vacation. Thank you, sir, the girls are really happy … that we are returning home with smiles," Bangladesh captain Sabina said. It has been learned that, since the historic triumph in Nepal in September last year, every player of the SAFF Championship-winning squad received approximately Tk 17 lakh based on the cash-awards given by the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh Army, the Bangladesh Cricket Board, BFF vice president Ataur Rahman Bhuiyan, Rupayan Group, Amber, Prothom Alo, Sammilito Sangskritik Jote and Sonali Bank.