Maiden call-ups for Arpita, Momita as Bangladesh name SAFF Women’s C’ship squad

Bangladesh head coach Peter Butler on Wednesday announced a 23-member final squad for the upcoming SAFF Women’s Championship, set to be held in India from May 25, including two new faces -- defender Arpita Biswas and midfielder Momita Khatun -- while leaving out several experienced players.

Defending champions Bangladesh will undergo a 15-day preparation camp in Thailand, leaving for Bangkok on Thursday before flying to Goa on May 21. They will begin their regional campaign against Maldives on May 28 before facing five-time champions and hosts India on May 31, with the aim of retaining the title and completing a hattrick of championships.

Butler had taken 26 players to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia last March, but this time trimmed the squad to 23, with Sapna Rani, Munki Akter, Ali Akter, Airin Khatun and Most Sultana among those dropped. Nabiran Khatun was also left out due to an ACL injury.

Defender Surma Jannat comes in as Nabiran’s replacement, while Bangladesh women’s U-20 captain Arpita and midfielder Momita have been included in the final squad.

“She (Nabiran) has got an ACL injury. She wants to play, but she’s not fit -- not 100 percent fit,” Butler said, adding that Sapna Rani, Munki Sinha Jahan and others were omitted due to poor performance.

“Sapna and Munki had poor performances and were not performing at the desired level. Hopefully, one day they will realise that I’m doing them a favour. So they are being left out of the group. They’re not training with the group for valid reasons -- poor performance,” he added.

Butler remains hopeful of defending the SAFF Women’s Championship title, although he acknowledged that doing so on India’s home soil will be a tougher challenge.