'The spotlight should be on the girls, don't steal their thunder': Salahuddin urges media to pay attention to the Saff winning squad
"Let me be clear. Executive committee members of BFF will be present at the airport to receive the team, and the sports minister will also be there. But I'm afraid the media might ask about my comments if I go there, depriving the team of the attention they so richly deserve," Salahuddin stated.
During a press conference held on Tuesday to explain why he wouldn't be in Kathmandu on game day, Kazi Salahuddin, president of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), asked the media and supporters to focus solely on the SAFF Women's Championship team.
Although his home is not far from the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, the four-time president of BFF and SAFF stated that he would prefer to meet the team at the BFF house.
"Let me be clear. Executive committee members of BFF will be present at the airport to receive the team, and the sports minister will also be there. But I'm afraid the media might ask about my comments if I go there, depriving the team of the attention they so richly deserve," Salahuddin stated.
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"For these girls, now is the time. The entire spotlight should be on them. Let's concentrate on them tomorrow. Don't steal their thunder," he added.
The BFF president received some backlash for not travelling to Kathmandu to witness and present the winning trophy from a small segment of the media and some users on social media.
"I was torn between going there and staying home. The girls might feel pressured to perform if I'm there, I eventually realized. I informed them that I would be watching from the BFF House and I cancelled my ticket "Salahuddin said.
"As SAFF president, it was my duty to present the trophy to the victorious team, but I felt that my team's welfare came before my duty as SAFF president," he concluded.
