Eleta left out of SAFF squad due to clearance issue
BFF general secretary Abu Naeem Sohag confirmed the matter.
A few days ago, the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) announced a 27-member preliminary squad for the SAF Championship. Eleta Kingsley, who left Nigeria to represent Bangladesh, was included in the squad.
However, there were fears about getting clearance from FIFA and AFC.
The fear ultimately came true. BFF did not get the clearance from FIFA-AFC to include this forward in the upcoming tournament. And there is no possibility of the clearance coming before SAFF. So Bangladesh will have to be without Eleta.
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BFF general secretary Abu Naeem Sohag confirmed the matter.
"We tried," he said. "Discussions have been held with FIFA and relevant authorities. But the clearance from FIFA has not come yet. It will not come before the tournament beins. It usually takes at least a few months. So Eleta cannot be played in SAFF. I can say for sure. '
The Bangladesh football team will leave Dhaka on September 28 to take part in the SAFF Championship. This year's SAFF will be held in the Maldives.
The biggest event in South Asian football will start on October 1 and end on October 16.
In a pre-tour press conference at the BFF office on Monday, both the Bangladesh interim head coach Oscar Bruzon and team captain Jamal Bhuiyan expressed their high hope of clinching the SAFF title this time, despite Bangladesh failed to overcome the group stages in the last four meets.
It will be the first assignment for Oscar Bruzon, the newly appointed Spanish interim Head Coach of the national team. Bruzon, head coach of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football champions Bashundhara Kings, has been hired for the SAFF assignment.
