FOOTBALL was once the most popular game in this part of the world. Hopefully it still is. But of late doubts have been cast on the future of this favourite pastime of millions because things are not moving in the right direction so far as local soccer management goes. The just-concluded Bangabandhu Cup football tournament is a case in point. This is for the second time that such an important tournament has been organised by the Bangladesh Football Federation with a high profile organising committee headed by a very powerful ruling party leader and minister. But this was not a scheduled tournament; rather a product of expediency as has been amply reflected by the standard and quality of the participating teams. The organisers should have known that all that glitters is not gold! How could they have accepted a team like that from Rio de Janeiro? Are all Brazilians good footballers? The other teams did also disappoint the critical crowd of the country. Most countries set their priorities at the beginning of the year and take their chances with novices whenever they get an opportunity to do so.

Only we do not have any plans for our football. The performance of the home side, which was almost a national team, left much to be desired and a final without local representation was a frustrating experience for the crowd. We congratulate the Japanese on their lifting the trophy and at the same time compliment Ghana Olympic team which reached the final but disapprove of their indiscipline on the field. If this tournament is to be an annual affair then the BFF must act like a professional body and spend public money with discretion. The lessons from this year’s shortcomings be learnt and the experience put to better use nextjlme. —-