Bangladesh Football - The Sylhet crowd has given us new hope

Not the kind of result which the Bangladeshis would have expected from the Under-23 football team. They lost the match by 1-0 against the Nepal Under-23 team in front of a jam-packed crowd at the Sylhet National stadium. Especially, the Sylhet crowd would have loved to see the hosts leaving the ground victorious.

But the Sylhet crowd deserves a big thank you. The atmosphere was absolutely electrifying. It seemed like a carnival.  The Sylhet crowd has proved again that football's appeal in Bangladesh has still not vanished. Still football attracts the mass community.

 If the appeal of soccer has vanished in Dhaka then this can never be the yardstick to measure the popularity of football in Bangladesh. Neither the opinion of a group of idiotic people can ever ring football’s death bell in Bangladesh.

Why doesn't the Bangladesh Football Federation popularize soccer outside Dhaka? Did they ever try such?

I get annoyed when I see some of the ex-football stars of Bangladesh to say, "Once soccer had a golden time in Bangladesh". Oh come on man! Why didn't you people try to revive that golden time? Every sport in a country passes through a transition period but that transition period must be overcome with appropriate planning and of course the legends of the past have always proved critical in overcoming such hard times.

But, what have our past football legends done? We have only seen the great Salahuddin to give efforts. But, is one person's effort enough? How many football academies do we have?

Cricket has emerged as the most popular sport in our region but cricket was never a threat to soccer. Some idiots have made cricket a threat. The inability to understand the pulse of the public and lack of vision and effort has let the downfall of soccer in our country.

But this is not the end of the story. Bangladesh football can rekindle its glorious past. The Sylhet crowd has given us new hope.

Sitting back and basking in past glories won't bring back the glory days. You need to stand up and do something to bring the change and I think our past footballers can do that. I am always optimistic.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar