The Bangladesh Football Federation has said it will hold talks with players before making any decision on whether to scrap the SAFF quota, following discussions at an executive committee meeting held on Sunday at BFF headquarters under the chairmanship of president Tabith Awal.
The quota, which allowed clubs to register up to five South Asian players and field them in the starting XI as local players last season, has drawn strong opposition from the Footballers’ Welfare Association. The association submitted a six-point demand to general secretary Imran Hossain Tushar calling for its removal, alongside requests to reduce the foreign player quota, increase opportunities for local footballers, strengthen long-term development programmes, expand the domestic league and guarantee financial security for players.
BFF media committee chairman Amirul Islam Babu confirmed the federation is open to hearing players’ views before reaching a conclusion. “We will hold discussions with players and consider their ideas before making a final decision,” he said.
The contract of current head coach Javier Cabrera is due to expire in April, but BFF vice-president Wahid Uddin Chowdhury Happy confirmed that appointing a successor was not on the agenda at this meeting. “There is still time to receive applications,” he said, adding that the matter will be addressed in a future session.
BFF has drawn up a calendar for the 2026–27 season featuring five competitions: the Challenge Cup, Super Cup, Bangladesh Football League, Federation Cup and Independence Cup. Senior vice-president Imrul Hasan expressed hope that all tournaments could be held on schedule, citing a more stable national environment.
In a positive development for the federation, BFF has been upgraded from bronze to silver grade in grassroots development by the Asian Football Confederation. Vice-president Naser Shahriar Zahedi said discussions were held on expanding grassroots programmes further to build on the progress made.
The federation also confirmed that its Annual General Meeting will take place on 22nd May.
