Setback for Bangla soccer

The women’s football in Bangladesh suffered a major set-back following threats from Islamic fundamentalists, who did not allow the thir...

The women’s football in Bangladesh suffered a major set-back following threats from Islamic fundamentalists, who did not allow the third match slated on January 23 at Netrokona between Indian and another team that had a few Bangladeshi women footballers. Dejected, the Indian team that was on a soccer promotion tour of that country had to cut its trip short and return home.

‘‘We were scared as well as disappointed,’’ Rinku Ghosh, captain of the team, told The Indian Express. ‘‘On January 22 all of a sudden we heard from Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) officials that the third match at Netrokona had been cancelled and we would have to leave because of security reasons. The same day we were escorted out of the country,’’ she added.

Under a FIFA directive the IFA team of women footballers and other officials reached Jessore on January 18 and played its first match there. They played the second match at Mirpur Stadium in Dhaka on January 21. The third match was slated at Netrokona on January 23 but a day before the Federation informed them that the match had been cancelled.

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Incidentally, Bangladesh have no women footballers’ team and this is the first time they played football. ‘‘At Jessore we got two girls to play with us and the girls wore track suits. And that was the first time they were playing football. But at Dhaka we got 5-6 girls who participated in disciplines like athletics, cycling, handball, etc. They all wore shorts. We saw a tremendous interest towards soccer among the girls there. And I am sure even if Islamic fundamentalists were to put their foot down, more and more women will come forward to play the game in future,’’ Sayanti Nandi, another footballer, said.

‘‘The fundamentalists could never succeed anywhere,’’ Kuntala Ghosh Dastidar, technical director of the team and former India captain, said. ‘‘We were surprised to see the tremendous interest people as well women sportspersons in that country showed. At Jessore stadium there were nearly 10,000 people despite protest rallies by the fundamentalists,’’ she said. But at Dhaka the macth was played in an almost empty stadium. ‘‘The organisers did not publicise the match for fear of protests,’’ Shankar Das, IFA assistant secretary who led the team, said.