A 27-member Bangladesh Women’s Football team will leave here for Myanmar today morning to participate in the Group C Round-1 matches of the Asian Qualifiers of the Women’s Olympics Football Tournament Tokyo 2020 beginning in Yangon on Thursday (Nov 8) with a hope to gather experience.
The Bangladesh team with current FIFA rank 112th, placed in Asian Group C for the Olympics Qualifiers with hosts Myanmar (Ranking 44th), India (59th) and Nepal (109), will play the inaugural match against top seed Myanmar on Thursday at 6pm at the Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon.
In the remaining Group C matches, Bangladesh will play India on Sunday (Nov 11) at 3 pm and meet Nepal on Tuesday (Nov 13) also at 3 pm at the same venue.
In a pre-departure press conference at the BFF office on Sunday, Head Coach of Bangladesh Team Golam Robbani Choton said, “Our team is completely a youthful side studded with U-19 players except captain Sabina Khatun. All of our opponents are superior to us in ranking. So, we have new challenge in Myanmar.”
“Our target is to gather valuable experiences from the meet for the next SAFF. We are regularly playing against India and Nepal. So, we are very much hopeful to make a good fight with them,” Chotan further said.
Bangladesh captain Sabina Khatun said, “We will play Myanmar for the first time. We are expecting a good result against India and Nepal, playing a better brand of football.”
BFF Member-cum-Chairman of the Women’s Wing Mahfuza Akter Kiron, BFF Member-cum-Team Leader of Bangladesh Amirul Islam Babu, BFF Technical & Strategic Director Paul Thomas Smalley, BFF General Secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag and Additional Managing Director of Dhaka Bank Ltd Emranul Haque also spoke on the occasion.
Bangladesh team comprises with 20 booters and seven officials.
Bangladesh Squad: Sabina Khatun (capt), Mahmuda Akhter, Rupna Chakma, Ruksana Begum, Masura Parvin, Sheuli Azim, Ankhi Khatun, Shamsunnahar, Ritu Porna Chakma, Maria Manda, Mishrat Jahan Mousumi, Israt Jahan Ratna, Monika Chakma, Marzia, Sanjida Akhter, Tohura Khatun, Sirat Jahan Shopna, Krishna Rani Sarkar, Razia Khatun and Nargis Khatun.
Team Officials: Amirul Islam Babu (team leader), Paul Thomas Smalley (Technical & Strategic Director), Golam Robbani Choton (Head Coach), Mahbubur Rahman Litu and Mahmuda Akter (Assistant Coach), Ahsan Ahmed Amith (Media Manager).
