‘Sweet dilemma’ as BFF, ministry stall over coach call

State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque said that it will take two to three more days to finalise the head coach of the Bangladesh men’s national football team, as he discussed the matter with Bangladesh Football Federation president Tabith Awal on Thursday night.

BFF’s previous announcement was to reach an agreement with a new possible head coach and make the name of the coach public on Friday. 

“Truly, it is like a sweet dilemma,” Aminul told reporters  at Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Indoor Stadium today, after inaugurating the First Division Badminton League. 

“We have already talked to BFF president and their team. A shortlist of coaches has been prepared, and we are analysing the national team's matches for the next two years.

“Fulfilling the people's expectations regarding football is our top priority. We hope to reach a decision within the next two to three days regarding who is going to be the future coach of the Bangladesh national football team.” 

The game's local governing body has sought financial help from the government to sign a high-profile coach like Chris Coleman, but the minister did not disclose how much money the board sought, or whether the ministry has assured financial assistance as per the demand from the game's governing body.

Asked whether it is worthy to appoint a very expensive coach given the current standard of the Bangladesh team, instead of a similarly experienced but less expensive option, Aminul said:

“We have certain limitations. We formed the government nearly 90 days ago, and within this time, we have provided a brief idea of our future plans for sports.

“It is not possible to change everything overnight. I want to say that any coach should be given a fixed amount of time, and results should be expected based on that timeframe. We must give the upcoming coach that time as well, because without it, we will not achieve the desired results. We are discussing everything while keeping our limitations in mind.”

The sports minister also said that the non-functional air conditioning system at Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Indoor Stadium will be resolved soon, and that they are working on increasing the sports budget in the next fiscal year in a bid to realise the government's new action plan for sports.