'BFF women's camp feels like a prison': Former captain Dalia Akter
For years, the fourth floor of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) building has served as the residential camp for the country’s women’s football team. But today, former national team captain Dalia Akter has raised serious allegations of mistreatment within the camp, describing it as nothing less than a "prison."
The protest, organised under the banner of "Bangladesh Women's Football Players and Officials," demanded the resignation of BFF President Kazi Salahuddin and Women's Committee Chief Mahfuza Akter Kiron. Dalia, who also led the national handball team, was particularly vocal during the rally.
Speaking at a protest rally in front of the BFF headquarters this morning, Dalia voiced her concerns, "The fourth floor of the BFF building, where our girls are kept, feels like a prison. They are not allowed to speak, and no one knows what they are eating. One day, these girls will step out of that building and reveal the truth."
Dalia, who captained both the national football and handball teams in 2008, expressed her concerns about the young players in the BFF camp, "These girls are very young and are too scared to speak up. One girl simply questioned why they were repeatedly being served pangasius fish, and she was punished for it. It's tragic that the true history of women's football in Bangladesh is being distorted, but the truth has a way of coming out."
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Addressing Salahuddin and Kiron directly, Dalia said, "They have established a dictatorship within the BFF and are desperately clinging to their positions. It's time for them to step down and allow deserving individuals to take over." She also questioned why the same person, Amirul Islam Babu, is repeatedly appointed as the manager of all the women's teams.
"Despite being the captain of the national women's football team, I was never given any role in women's football," Dalia added. "They have monopolized everything. You (Mahfuza Akter) have done nothing but misuse your power. You care only for your position. Our girls were not even sent to compete in the Olympic qualifiers. How much money have you siphoned off? It's time for you to step aside."
Kamrun Nahar Dana, a key figure in organizing women's football in Bangladesh and a former badminton star, was the main Organiser of the protest. "The Football Federation now seems to belong to Salahuddin and Kiron. He (Salahuddin) has never acted without self-interest. The BFF has been politicized, and corruption is rampant. Those who were elected as councilors are now in hiding. They have no place in our sports arena. We demand change for the greater good of football and hope that the BFF will be completely reOrganised."
The rally was attended by 25 to 30 individuals, including former players, Organisers, and others involved in women's football.
