Due to corona most clubs to close camps

Due to the spread of dangerous coronavirus most of the professional football clubs of the country are going to release their players from training camps. after the professional football league committee of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) yesterday conveyed government’s directives to postpone the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League.

The league’s seventh round of matches were scheduled to resume on Thursday.

The game’s local governing body, on Monday, suspended the league up to March 31 following instructions from Ministry for Youth and Sports, and yesterday it conveyed the directives to participating clubs at an emergency meeting of the league committee, with senior vice-president Abdus Salam Murshedy in chair.

After the meeting, most of the club officials said they were going to stop their camps even though a Bangladesh Police FC and Sheikh Jamal DC want to continue with their camps.

The club officials also informed that they have already taken precautions to keep the safe from coronavirus at respective camps by using sanitiser, hand-washes and limiting the players’ movement outside the camps.

“We will give a four-day break to the local players but the foreign players will stay at their respective places as the camp will resume after four days,” Abahani manager Satyajit Das Rupu said.

Bashundhara Kings’ general secretary Minhajul Islam said, “We are yet to take any decision on how many days of vacation the local players will get but it is certain that the foreign players won’t be released as they can’t travel due to travel restrictions.”

Brothers Union manager Amer Khan said that they would release all the players – local and foreign – as they are not capable of providing necessary measures to the players.

“We wanted at least two months’ postponement as the local players will travel to their districts and then come back again. If they are infected in their districts, then we won’t have anything to do. The foreigners may also go to their home if they want. Our striker Nkowcha Kingsley has already left the country for United States,” said Amer.

Saif SC manager Mahbubur Rahman Suman said, “We won’t release the foreign players because if they face quarantines in their respective countries and then in Bangladesh on their return, it will be tough for us to play the league. However, we have taken all measurers to keep the players safe.”

Rahmatganj MFS general secretary Imtiaz Ahmed Sabuj said, “Due to the postponement, the small clubs will face financial loss owing to the payment to foreign players. But they all accepted the postponement as it is a national issue and we will take a decision about the camp after discussing it with the club officials and coaches.”

Bangladesh Police manager Sheikh Maruf Hasan said that they would continue with their training camp by taking all safety measures while Sheikh Jamal manager Anwarul Karim Helal said that they would also continue the ongoing camp with the safety measures they have at the club.