The Women’s Football League is set to begin on 29 December, with 11 teams taking part. Although a few sides are considered competitive, most are regarded as average. In recent seasons, the league has often produced one-sided contests and heavy scorelines, raising concerns over the quality of competition. With the AFC Women’s Asian Cup scheduled for March, questions have emerged over whether key players such as Rituparna Chakma and Afida Khandaker will get enough competitive match exposure beforehand.
Those concerns were heightened earlier this month during the SAFF Women’s Club Championship, which began on 5 December. Bangladeshi club Nasrin Sporting Club sought to field national team players in the tournament, but head coach Peter Butler and the federation declined to release them, citing preparations for the Asian Cup and doubts over the standard of the competition.
Clubs from India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan were allowed to use their players in the SAFF tournament, but Bangladesh took a different stance. Just three weeks later, however, the same national players have been made available for the domestic league. Asked about this apparent contradiction, BFF Women’s Wing chief Mahfuza Akhter Kiron said, “This question should be asked to Butler.”
Kiron noted that allowing Nasrin Sporting Club to field national players could have benefited both the team and the country. “If the players had been released, the team could have become champions. It would certainly have enhanced the country’s prestige. I spoke a lot about this issue. There were several factors involved, not just Peter, but I won’t go into those now. At the moment, I’m only talking about the league,” she said.
The SAFF Club Championship followed immediately after a tri-nation series, and Kiron explained that Butler’s position was firm. “His (Peter’s) position was that he would not allow the players to play under any other coach,” she said.
That stance has prompted further debate, as the players are now competing in the domestic league under different coaches, where facilities and coaching standards vary widely. Fitness concerns had already been evident during the Thailand match in September, following several players’ stints in the Bhutan league. With the domestic season ending just a month before the Asian Cup, doubts remain over preparation, fitness and performance levels.
“Now these questions will have to be asked to Peter — why the players are allowed to play under other coaches now, and why they were not allowed earlier,” Kiron added.
Butler travelled to England on 20 December for the Christmas holidays and is expected to return on 4 January. While the coach has outlined his plans, questions are now being raised within the football community over how effectively the Bangladesh Football Federation is overseeing those decisions and ensuring proper accountability.
