Kazi Salahuddin, the current head of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), has referred to the current national squad as the greatest to have been assembled since the 1973 team.
On Sunday, Salahuddin hosted a celebration at the BFF House for the players, who had managed to churn out performances that saw the men in red and green reach the semifinal of the 2023 SAFF Championships. The men in red and green had been playing for the team known as the men in red and green.
During the reception, the BFF leader handed out the bonus money that had been promised earlier—a total of Tk 50 lakh—with each player and official receiving Tk 1.5 lakh, with the exception of Anisur Rahman Zico, Sheikh Morsalin, and Bishwanath Ghosh.
Both Zico, who was recognized as the competition’s top goalie, and Morsalin, who scored twice, were presented with a check for the equivalent of TK 2.5 lakh.
If Bangladesh had made it all the way to the championship game, defender Bishwanath Ghosh had promised to give everyone of his teammates a bonus of Tk 5 lakh. The award for the young man, who is 24 years old, was five lakh taka.
“A few days ago, I stated that this Bangladesh squad is the greatest that could possibly be assembled, but many people disagreed with me. To tell you the truth, this is the most talented crew. After the liberation struggle, in our first international match, we played Malaysia to a 2-2 tie, with Enayetur (Rahman Khan) and I both scoring one goal. Despite the fact that we twice took the lead, this was our first international encounter.
Since then, perhaps four to five years have passed since you started playing. At the reception, Salahuddin informed the players, “I am telling you that this squad is the best squad and you proved it.”
“Despite the fact that we were defeated in two of our matches, I am satisfied with the performance since you all worked together as a team. You put up a fight. This is the kind of experience that you carry with you into the future so that you can account for everything.
“Before the SAFF Championship, there was a lot of criticism, but I was confident that you would perform well because the coach along with some senior players promised me that they would give their one hundred per cent effort. “
The manager of the BFF organization commented, “I told you not to concede defeat before the start of the match and to play for the entire 90 minutes, and you did what you promised.”
Salahuddin also commended the individual performances that shone out during the tournament. In particular, he lauded the likes of Rakib Hossain, Morsalin, and Zico, who made the flagship event their own to catapult Bangladesh to the final four.
After that, he continued by expressing his disappointment that he could not increase the players’ bonuses any more.”There is a little envelope in front of you right now. It includes the extra that I guaranteed. I sincerely regret having to hand up such a meager sum to you. “I could have given you more if I had more money, but this money is just a token amount for you to have tea and coffee even though you deserved more,” Salahuddin remarked to him. “I apologize.”
The BFF fund contributed Tk 50 lakh, which was divided up among the players, and Salahuddin contributed an additional Tk 7 lakh, which was also distributed to the three players.