Sri Lanka to play in Bangabandhu Gold Cup

The much-awaited Bangabandhu Gold Cup international football tournament will be held from January 29 to February 9 in Dhaka and Sylhet the Bangladesh Football Federation.

Sri Lanka will complete the six nations participating in the tournament which includes Malaysia, Singapore, Bahrain, Thailand and hosts Bangladesh. Thailand and Malaysia have confirmed that they will send Olympic (U-23) teams for the Bangabandhu Gold Cup international football tournament as part of their preparation for the 2016 Olympic Qualifiers.

This means the third edition of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup has all but turned into a competition of U-23s as Bahrain and Singapore had earlier confirmed to send their Olympic teams for the tournament.

However, hosts Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the two lowest FIFA ranking sides of the tournament, will field senior sides in the invitational tournament, which will be recognised as FIFA Tier-1 competition. Even though Sri Lanka are fielding their senior side the average of the squad is 23, with 19 of the 23 man squad having been born after 1990. The FIFA Competitions Committee has ensured that the tournament will be recognised as FIFA Tier-1 competition, subject to receiving relevant information provided, informed Bangladesh Football federation general secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag.

Country’s premier venue Bangabandhu National Stadium will play host to the February 8 final.

“Holding the Bangabandhu Gold Cup has been a dream for us. And despite a lot of difficulties due to tight domestic and international schedules of the invited national teams, we have not only convinced them to take part in the Bangabandhu Gold Cup once, but for five successive years and it is a great pleasure for me and the football federation,” said BFF president Kazi Salahuddin after the logo unveiling and groupings at a city hotel.

Holding of the third edition of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup had been limited to discussions for last two years since Salahuddin reclaimed the presidency for a second successive term and it finally came true after frantic activities home and abroad from the BFF boss. The last time the event took place in 1999 featured 12 teams.

“We had completed the groupings of the tournament in Melbourne [during the AFC Congress on January 9] after discussing it with the participating teams,” explained Salahuddin.

“I will be happy if Bangladesh play the final, but the reality is that our target is to qualify for the semifinal first and then think of the final,” added the BFF boss.