Bangladesh Football Federation escapes huge expenses

.CNI Desk: Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) narrowly escaped having to pay accommodation cost for the national team as their two-month residential camp for the joint qualifiers round two of FIFA World Cup 2022 and AFC Asian Cup 2023 at Sarah Resort was canceled.

BFF Head of Marketing ATM Tareq told daily sun that they were expecting a big amount of discount from Sarah Resort.

“BFF canceled the camp within seven days. According to the agreement, we will pay them as long as the camp lasts. No camp, no payment. I don’t know the exact figure, but we’re expecting a big amount of discount from them (Sarah Resort),” Tareq said on Thursday.  

 

Sarah Resort Ltd inked a deal and became ‘Exclusive Accommodation Partner of Bangladesh National Football Team’ on August 6. BFF Vice-President Kazi Nabil Ahmed and Sarah Resort Ltd Managing Director Shahadat Hossain signed the agreement on behalf of their respective parties in a function at BFF House in the capital.

BFF President Kazi Salahuddin, Vice-President Tabith Awal, Executive Committee member Amirul Islam Babu, General Secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag and Branding, Sarah Resort Sales and Reservation General Manager Ahmad Raquib were present on the occasion.

Under the agreement, Sarah Resort Ltd was supposed to provide health club, swimming pool, indoor games, football ground and various other facilities to Bangladesh football team during their isolation camp for more than two months.

“It is a short term official contract which was made with the mutual consent of both parties. As the exclusive accommodation partner of national team, Sarah Resort was supposed to provide us better facilities and privacy with a huge discount. Again, the team didn’t do the full camp, so we can continue it there at any time under the agreement,” he added.

The men in red and green were scheduled to resume actions hosting Afghanistan, India and Oman on October 8, November 12 and November 17 respectively while meeting Asian champions Qatar in their lone away match on October 13. Ahead of the campaign, the 36-member Bangladesh national football team with 30 players and 6 officials were taking part in the isolation training camp at the Sarah Resort in Gazipur from August 6.

The decision of camp cancelation was made last week as FIFA and AFC jointly postponed the schedule until 2021 due to travel restrictions in different countries.

 

After BFF’s decision of camp postponement, 31 members, 26 players and 6 officials left camp on August 13. Four players namely Anisur Rahman Zico, Shahidul Alam, Raihan Hasan and Faisal Ahmed Fahim tested positive for COVID-19 in the second phase, were in isolation at Sarah Resort. They left the camp on Wednesday.