AFC invites Bangladesh to Challenge Cup
Sunday, 11 November 2007
The Asian Football Federation (AFC) invited Bangladesh to the second AFC Challenge Cup 2008, to be participated by the second-tier football nations of Asia, reports bdnews24.com.
The inaugural AFC Challenge Cup was held in Bangladesh in April 2006 and Bangladesh went out of the race in quarterfinals as it lost to Tajikistan 6-1.
Apart from hosts Chinese Taipei and Bangladesh, the AFC, Asian apex football body, also invited Afghanistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, North Korea, Guam, Palestine, Philippines, Tajikistan, Timor and Lorosae, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan and Laos.
AFC Vice President Manilal Fernando will pay a one-day visit to Bangladesh to see the progress of establishing two football centres and a football academy.
Fernando, also an AFC development director, is scheduled to arrive in the city Wednesday night and to meet the high-ups of the BFF and the NSC chairman the next day.
The AFC sanctioned $0.5 million Tsunami fund in 2005 to build two football centres and it extended the timeframe after the dateline had expired in June last.
The AFC under the second goal project also sanctioned $4,000 to build a football academy.
After taking over, NSC Chairman and Army Chief General Moeen U Ahmed declared that the Tsunami fund would not go back and he would manage the lands to build the football centres and the academy.
With the assistance of the NSC, the BFF has already got the allotment of a three-acre land in Barisal and another three acres of land in Cox's Bazar are under process.
The government is also looking for a suitable land in Gazipur to build the football academy.
The inaugural AFC Challenge Cup was held in Bangladesh in April 2006 and Bangladesh went out of the race in quarterfinals as it lost to Tajikistan 6-1.
Apart from hosts Chinese Taipei and Bangladesh, the AFC, Asian apex football body, also invited Afghanistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, North Korea, Guam, Palestine, Philippines, Tajikistan, Timor and Lorosae, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan and Laos.
AFC Vice President Manilal Fernando will pay a one-day visit to Bangladesh to see the progress of establishing two football centres and a football academy.
Fernando, also an AFC development director, is scheduled to arrive in the city Wednesday night and to meet the high-ups of the BFF and the NSC chairman the next day.
The AFC sanctioned $0.5 million Tsunami fund in 2005 to build two football centres and it extended the timeframe after the dateline had expired in June last.
The AFC under the second goal project also sanctioned $4,000 to build a football academy.
After taking over, NSC Chairman and Army Chief General Moeen U Ahmed declared that the Tsunami fund would not go back and he would manage the lands to build the football centres and the academy.
With the assistance of the NSC, the BFF has already got the allotment of a three-acre land in Barisal and another three acres of land in Cox's Bazar are under process.
The government is also looking for a suitable land in Gazipur to build the football academy.