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Busy days ahead for national booters

SPORTS REPORTER
Football
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the first time will hold qualifiers for the Asian Cup on a home and away basis, Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) general secretary Anwarul Hoque Helal confirmed yesterday.
"We were informed that the AFC decided today to organise the qualifiers in a new format. They also asked us to reconfirm our entry for the competition," said Helal adding that the qualifying rounds will be held in September and November.
Three teams will be drawn in each qualifying group. The finals will be held in 2007.
The new AFC format means that the country's top footballers will be busy on national duty from September. After the Asian Cup qualifiers, the national team play in the SAFF Football Championships in Pakistan in November.
"The international scheduling clashes with the upcoming National Football League (NFL). So we have decided in today's executive committee meeting that the clubs will have to do without the national players in that tournament," said Helal.
In the past, national team's preparations have been interrupted as clubs refused to release players. But this time around the BFF wants to make sure that players are avail-
able for national duty whenever called up.
"We have to see our national interest first and if the clubs demand, we will increase the quota of foreign players. If the local players are free, they will be permitted to join the National League," Helal said.
The preliminary stage of the National League is expected to begin in September.
The BFF, meanwhile, will have to wait and see if it can bring its desired Argentine coaching staff. The National Team Management Committee was yet to find a sponsor to meet the salaries of the South American trio of coaches, which is expected to be around 14,000 US dollars.
The committee told the BFF that it would arrange the amount from individual sources for one year but the BFF has rejected the idea.
"We have given them (management committee) some more time. We have also asked the Argentines to wait," said Helal.
The BFF meeting decided on hosting an international tournament in Dhaka in February next year four local and six foreign clubs.
AFP adds: The AFC said that it will launch a new competition for emerging nations from next year. The AFC already holds the President's Cup for clubs from smaller footballing nations in Asia.
"Unlike the AFC Presidents Cup, the AFC Challenge Cup is a competition for national teams. Entries are
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expected from 17 emerging countries as well as India and Bangladesh," said an AFC statement.
"Meanwhile, the AFC Presidents Cup will remain as an eight-club competition next year," it said, adding that the AFC is covering the costs of both competitions.
The emerging teams involved are: Afghanistan, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Guam, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macau, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tajikistan and East Timor.