Dist Football League ’14 to begin Oct-Dec

The District Football League-2014, to be known as Sheikh Kamal Nitol-Tata District Football League from this year, will begin during October to December next in 64 districts across the country.
District Football League Commiittee chairman Manjur Kader gave the dateline to start the district leagues while exchanging views with the presidents of 64 District Football Associations (DFAs) and seven Divisional Football Associations at the Uttara Club Limited in the capital on Sunday.
BFF president Kazi Mohammad Salahuddin, Director of the league’s title sponsor Nitol-Niloy Group Major General (retd) Abdul Matin, former BFF general secretary Harun-ur Rashid, Shawkat Ali Khan Jahangir of Victoria SC, Ashrafuddin Ahmed Chunnu of Narayanganj, Deputy Chairperson of BFF Women’s Football Committee Mahfuza Akhter Kiran, Ajmal Hossain Tapan of Khulna also spoke on the occasion.
But, the programme, somehow, lost its charm due to the absence of invited guests State Minister for Youth and Sports Biren Sikder and deputy minister Arif Khan Joy alongside the presidents of four vital associations –Dhaka District and Divisional Associations, and Chittagong District and Divisional Football Associations.
Speaking on the occations, Manjur Kader, also president of Sheikh Jamal Dhanmond Club, was highly critical of the ministers’ absence in the day’s important meeting, saying “Didn’t they consider the meeting as part of their job? We’ll lodge complaint to the Prime Minister against them.”
During the meeting, Manjur Kader announced that he will personally provide Tk 100,000 each to all the 64 districts to start the league.
After the meeting, BFF handed over a cheque of Tk 100,000 to each DFA present in the meeting along with 10 footballs.
Director of Nitol-Tata Group Major General (retd) Abdul Matin said they will also provide another amount of Tk 100,000 each to all the 64 DFAs for the ensuing league soon after the league begins.
Officials of BFF and District Football League Committee stressed starting the league on schedule with the small donation to hunt talented players.
The DFA presidents attending the meeting called for more donations for the district football leagues and also to restart the Sher-e-Bangla Cup National Football Championship and the Suhrawardy Cup National Youth Football Championship, in addition to countrywide school football.
Giving a brief resume of their activities, BFF president Kazi Salahuddin said: “We are now working hard for the development of country’s football and also to solve your problems.”
He informed that the BFF is facing annual deficit of Tk 30 lakh after earning around Tk 4.11 crore from FIFA, AFC and other funds against expenditure of Tk 4.42 crore.
The BFF supremo warned the DFA presidents that their remaining payments will be halted if “you do not complete the league.”