By Nusayer Andalib
To say 2025 has been a monumental year for football in Bangladesh would be an understatement. This year saw the homecoming of the biggest football star to ever don the green and red, Hamza Choudhury along with the maestro Shamit Shome. Both incredible achievements from the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF). However, undoubtedly the highlight of the year was not in Leicester or Alberta, but in Yangon. The women’s football team scripted one of the most remarkable stories as they qualified for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup for the first time ever by topping their qualification group.
Two dominant wins over Bahrain and Turkmenistan along with a 2-1 upset over favourites and hosts Myanmar booked Bangladesh’s ticket to Australia for 2026. This mightily impressive achievement was not overlooked by the FIFA rankings, an incredible 24 spot jump to 104th cemented the Tigresses as the fastest rising women’s team in all of Asia.
But beneath the historic accomplishments lies the ugly truth of neglect when it comes to women’s football in the country. Radical sects in the population have repeatedly done their best to thwart the players, particularly in rural areas through remarks, insults and vandalism. A lack of support from BFF further hampers the development of the girls who have done all in their ability to punch above weight.
The Golden Geese
Unlike most countries in the world, Bangladesh’s golden generation did not come from years of infrastructure development. It came from the rural places where adversity shaped the stars of today. In underdeveloped places such as Rangmati, Khagrachori, Kalsindur, the girls played barefoot with no federation backed coaches or facilities to overlook their development. It was only through their sheer determination and will to succeed that they weaved their own fates.
Current Bangladesh women’s national team captain Afeida Khandaker said to Times of Bangladesh, “We know how to fight through adversity. We are the girls of Bangladesh. Please keep believing in us.”
Even now, the places mentioned have not been given anything other than recognition from the media. No training grounds or proper fields are available for the girls who come through these underprivileged areas of the country. It is as if the law demands their sacrifice if they are to make it on the big stage.
The Prison
The August of 2024 sent seismic shockwaves throughout the country but one morning outside of the BFF headquarters, former women’s national team captain Dalia Akter led a protest against the then BFF President Kazi Salahuddin and current Women’s wing chairperson Mahfuza Akter Kiron stating the lack of facilities and the amount of neglect the girls have to deal with.
Speaking at the protest she said, “The fourth floor of the BFF building is like a prison. That is where our girls are kept. Nobody listens to them, nobody cares about them.”
Her statements painted a gruesome picture of the BFF camp for women, forcing people to ask themselves how to have the girls come this far with this little.
Gears of War
Mahfuza Akter Kiron herself has questioned the lack of facilities and funding from BFF when it comes to the women’s game. Speaking at the BFF house, she said, “Government funds are used to run FIFA, AFC and every other board around the world but only we are different. We work with sponsors’ money in Bangladesh. The girls should have a dedicated sporting complex, with a training center, swimming pool and grounds.”
She added, “There is no ground to practice properly. How do we expect something good from them? Despite the challenges, we are trying to improve the girls’ game on our own. Our girls are fighting on their own, on the back of their own determination.”
Captain Afeida Khandaker has echoed Kiron’s statements, “We need better training facilities, grounds, improved diet and more international friendly matches. We also need a domestic women’s football league.”
The calls for better training facilities are many, but whether they will be answered or fall on deaf ears remains to be seen. The girls have consistently been a source of pride for people in the country ever since their South Asian triumph in 2022. They have been recognized for that feat as well, with the winning team being honoured with the ‘Ekushey Padak.’ But an absence in this year’s AFC Asian Women’s Cup group stage draw in Australia and lukewarm receptions upon their return from their successful campaign leaves a lot left to be desired.
But more importantly, we are yet to see any concrete plans for the dedicated training complex or any infrastructure for the women’s team. Without this crucial infrastructure, you can’t expect the team to keep on rising above the dust-filled battlegrounds.
Even the rural areas, which produce almost all of our talent, feel like a barren wasteland. Devoid of any real grounds, or clear pathways, it is a miracle what the girls have managed to achieve. A year on from the revolution, the same scandal of corruption and neglect lingers in the women’s game. A scandal that has lingered for far too long.
