Bangladesh have been forced to cancel their final training session on the eve of the SAFF Under-19 Women’s Championship final in Pokhara, with concerns over the poor condition of the playing surface dominating preparations.
The tournament is being held in Pokhara, Nepal, where the quality of the pitch has drawn repeated criticism. Bangladesh head coach Peter Butler raised concerns after his side’s opening match and reiterated them again on Friday, a day before the final.
“Unfortunately, we have tried to limit training as much as possible because of the condition of the pitch,” Butler said. “I know other countries have also raised concerns about the ground.”
With the final approaching, Butler’s priority has shifted firmly to player welfare. While Bangladesh have avoided any serious injuries so far, the risk remains high on the surface available to them.
“We have picked up a number of injuries,” Butler said. “My first and foremost objective is to put a group of fit players on the pitch.”
Bangladesh face India in the title decider, having already beaten them 2-0 in the round-robin stage. Butler, however, is keen to distance the final from that result, stressing that knockout matches demand a different approach.
“I have a rough idea of how they will play and I have taken some indications,” he said. “They have some good players, there is no doubt about that. We need to be at our best, stay fresh, and be realistically prepared to compete.”
The SAFF age-group women’s tournament has been held six times across Under-18 to Under-20 levels. Bangladesh have won the title outright on four occasions, while India have been champions once. In 2024, the two teams were declared joint winners after the final ended in controversy, with the trophy shared following a coin toss decision by the match commissioner at the tournament in Dhaka.
Saturday’s final offers Bangladesh another chance to add to their strong record in the competition, though preparation has been shaped as much by caution as by tactical planning.
