Manik's fate hangs in balance

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The renewal of the contract of national coach Shafiqul Islam Manik hangs in balance after the members of the National Team Management Committee (NTMC) opined differently, bdnews24.com reports.
Manik, the former national defender, was appointed in the middle of August for three months ahead of the national team's engagement in the Mardeka Cup in Malaysia and the Grand Royal Challenge Cup in Myanmar.
The national football team failed to earn a single win in five matches and faced an early exit from both the tournaments.
The NTMC Saturday sat to evaluate the Myanmar campaign, the renewal of Manik's contract, as well as the preparation for the South Asian Games in December 2009 in Bangladesh.
"The NTMC members gave their different opinions on the Myanmar campaign and the renewal of Manik's contract. We asked the NTMC chairman (Badal Roy) to discuss the matter with BFF president Kazi Salahuddin," NTMC vice chairman Nurul Alam Chowdhury told the news agency Sunday.
"I can only say that I am not happy with the team's performance in Myanmar," Chowdhury said. "It is not a matter how the team played in Myanmar as, at the end of the day, the result is zero."
Chowdhury, also president of B League team Sheikh Russel KC, said that all members of the committee, however, agreed in appointing a foreign coach for the national team before the SA Games.
The meeting also asked all its members to submit an individual report within one month on how the strength of the national team could increase.
Chowdhury also saw no need for a coach for the national team at the moment, as all players will remain engaged in the domestic commitments till the last of April next.
Returning to the Mardeka Cup in Malaysia, Manik urged the BFF high-ups to stop foreign players playing in the domestic league.