A grand welcome awaits SAFF champion girls

A grand welcome awaits the Bangladesh women's football team – the new and proud winners of the SAFF Women's Championship 2022 – with a victory parade featuring an open-top bus to rally them across town. 

The SAFF champions are all set to return home on Wednesday (21 September) around 1:30pm.

Bangladesh Football Federation, along with the government, have set up the open-top bus victory parade from the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to the BFF House in Motijheel.

Photo: Collected

State Minister for Youth and Sports Zahid Ahsan Russel on Monday announced the plans to organise a reception after the Bangladesh girls clinched their maiden South Asian Football Federation Women's Cup by beating Nepal 3-1.

Sanjida Akhter, a member of the winning team, took to Facebook to share her thoughts and eagerness to win the title and prove a point ahead of yesterday's (19 September) final.

The post, termed by many as mature and inspirational, went viral on different social media platforms.

The post read, "Those who are pensively waiting to embrace the dream, we want to win it (the title) for those dreamers. We want to repay their unequivocal support.

"We are not thinking of a victory parade on an open-top bus with the trophy in our hand. We want to win it for those who have helped us to touch the green grass by protecting us from social stigma."

Mentioning the viral post, the state minister said, "Sanjida in her Facebook post wrote that they (the SAFF winning women's team) would not be able to celebrate on an open-top bus. Seeing this was really heartbreaking for us.

"Although there are no open-top buses in Dhaka, we have made special arrangements in this regard. The team will get an open-top bus victory parade after they return home."

"We will receive the girls at the airport with an open-top bus. I will be there to receive them. They will then be taken to the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) building," said the state minister.

The final of the SAFF Women's Championship 2022 between Bangladesh and Nepal was held at Dasharath Rangshala International Stadium in Kathmandu. Bangladesh beat the hosts to lift the title.

A brace from Krishna Rani Sarkar and an early goal from substitute player Shamsunnahar helped the Bangladesh women clinch their first SAFF championship today.

Anita Basnet pulled one back for Nepal, but it was too little, too late. With the win, Bangladesh shattered India's dominance in this competition.

Since winning, there had been a demand from various quarters, starting from social media, to welcome the women's champion team from the airport on an open-top bus.

In response, Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC), the government's transport agency, prepared an open-top bus to welcome the victorious girls.

State minister for youth and sports, Zahid Ahsan Russel, has congratulated the team and promised to give a reception on the team's return.

Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) president Kazi Salahuddin said he wants the victorious SAFF champions to give 60 per cent more effort in their endeavour to challenge at the Asian level. He said this during a press briefing at the BFF House on Tuesday, the day after the women's team clinched their maiden SAFF title by beating Nepal 3-1 in the final in Kathmandu.