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‘Football drives me in everything’

Bangladesh women’s team striker Krishna Rani Sarkar, who hit a brace against Nepal in the final of SAFF Women’s Championship last year, played a vital role behind Bashundhara Kings’ hat-trick triumph of the Women’s Football League. She emerged as the third top-scorer with 11 goals this year after finishing top of the chart with 28 goals in the last edition. Krishna talked to The Daily Star’s Anisur Rahman about different aspects of women’s league and women’s football.
The Daily Star (DS): How was the experience of playing the latest league?
Krishna Rani Sarkar (KRS): It was more or less good because the matches of the league and our play have been improving day by day. So far, my teammates and I have enjoyed the women’s football league.
DS: How was the competitiveness of the league compared to the previous two editions?
KRS: It was previously seen that one team conceded a lot of goals and their players stayed packed inside their half or box, but this time things changed a lot with all teams showing their attacking attitude. It was a different case for Bashundhara Kings though, which is full of national players.
DS: Did you enjoy playing one-sided league matches for star-studded Kings?
KRS: I think our opponents went down morally after hearing the name of Bashundhara [Kings] and they could not put up a fight against us, thus conceding a lot of goals. This time, we played our first match against Uttara FC and they conceded only two goals. It proved that if the opponents wanted to fight against us, they could. I think the girls from our opponents were not instructed as they should have been. They likely had been instructed to keep the margin of defeat less and the girls played accordingly.
DS: Will playing league matches help you at international stage?
KRS: To tell you the truth, many players are coming out because of the women’s football league. Also, some talented players have been called up for the different age-group national teams. I think playing in the league will help those players perform well at the international level. It is evident that there have been some creative players who could not draw the attention before due to lack of matches, but through the league they could make their presence felt.
DS: To improve performance of senior players at international level, what kind of league matches do you need to play?
KRS: No doubt, we need to play more competitive matches because a team scoring one goal after another, while the other conceding a goal after another, is not at all competitive. The way I see it, I won’t personally be able to improve my game playing such one-sided affairs, rather the competitive matches could give us an opportunity to improve performance and rectify the mistakes collectively or individually. Nevertheless, we should play more competitive matches to improve ourselves. To achieve this, the league needs more competitive teams.
DS: How do you evaluate the performances of the budding players outside the national camps?
KRS: I think they are also good players. Having watched the international achievements we delivered, they are also dreaming of representing the national team and trying to get a place in the national camp. I believe if they get more opportunities to play and proper support from the respective organisations, they can reach our level. It is more important to keep them engaged in football because they are getting to play only the women’s football league.
DS: Do those girls interact with you and the national team’s players for inspiration?
KRS: After the completion of our league matches, most of the girls from the opposing team approached us and talked about different aspects of football. Sometimes we senior players went to their tent to console them, saying that they played well, and inspired them to do better next time.
DS: How was the payment from the club this time? How do you continue to support your family by playing football?
KRS: As our performance is upward, the payment is also improving day by day. Now, we need big clubs like Abahani, Mohammedan SC, Sheikh Jamal in the women’s league. If they form the squad for the women's football league, it will benefit the players. My family members, teachers and many others have gotten recognition through me and they feel proud of me. I built a house playing football and continuing to help my brother to study. I help my family whenever they need it. To be honest, football drives me in everything.
DS: You once played a lot of international matches for different age-group teams but you are getting less international matches to play at senior level. How do you maintain the international standard playing only domestic league?
KRS: I heard the federation will arrange the international matches during the FIFA window. I believe the federation will take the steps for the betterment because it is not wise to sit idle round the year. Besides, it won’t be not bad if we are invited to play different international tournaments.