B\\\'desh footballers ready to face strong challenge: de Kruif

A 24-member Bangladesh Under-23 Football team, comprising 20 booters and four officials was scheduled to leave Dhaka for South Korean city of Incheon Sunday night to participate in this month's 17th Asian Games, where it has been placed in a strong Group B, reports UNB.
In Group B, Bangladesh faces tough challenge from higher-ranked Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Hong Kong.
The Asian Games will be ceremonially declared open on September 19, but the football competition will begin on Sept 14. Bangladesh will start the Asian Games football campaign taking on South Asian champions Afghanistan on Sept 15, play tough Uzbekistan on Sept 18 and Hong Kong on Sept 22.
Addressing a press conference at the BFF Bhaban Sunday, the Dutch Head Coach of Bangladesh Football team, Lodewijk Darius de Kruif, expressed his satisfaction over the team preparations.
"I'm happy for five-week's good preparation… now we will go for the challenge, although the higher ranked team of FIFA and Asia put in our group," he said.
Coach de Kruif said: "Everything is possible in football, we've nothing to lose. We go there (Incheon) to do something. Our target is to collect points," he added.
"Huge crowd in Sylhet Stadium (against Nepal) proved football is very alive in the country", he added.
Echoing the coach, Bangladesh Captain Mamunul Islam Mamun said he is satisfied with the 36 days of "good training" and also for the six preparation matches, including two international friendly against Nepal ahead of the Asian Games.
"We've a very good preparation this time and the physical condition of the players is also good… now working for consistency in performance," he said.
Replying to a question, Mamun said: "Our first target is to beat Afghanistan in the first match playing like a good football team."
BFF Vice President and chairman of the national team committee Kazi Nabil Ahmed, MP, BFF member and manager of the Asian Games-bound football team Amirul Islam Babu, assistant coach of Bangladesh national team Rene Koster and BFF General Secretary Abu Nayeem Sohag also spoke on the occasion.
A 166-member contingent comprising 126 athletes and 40 team officials will represent Bangladesh in 13 disciplines of sports-archery, football, cricket, hockey, kabaddi, fencing, golf, gymnastics, karate, shooting, taekwondo, beach volleyball and wushu-in the biggest sports carnival of Asia to be held in Incheon, South Korea from September 19 to October 4.
Bangladesh hopes to win medals in cricket, kabaddi, shooting, archery and gymnastics.
Abdullah Hel Baki, who won silver medal for Bangladesh in the last Commonwealth Games, will carry the national flag of Bangladesh in the opening ceremony on September 19.
Vice President of Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) Sheikh Bashir Ahmed has been named as chef-de-mission of Bangladesh contingent while BOA deputy secretary general Badal Roy made the deputy chef-de-mission.
In the last Asian Games in Guangzhou in 2010, Bangladesh won gold medal in men's cricket, silver medal in women's cricket and bronze medal in women's kabaddi.
Bangladesh shooting and gymnastics team will leave Dhaka for Korea on September 13, while other members of the contingent will follow in batches.