AFC President, Mohamed bin Hammam

KUALA LUMPUR: AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam has expressed his confidence that the Bangladesh Professional Football League, which is set to be launched on Friday under the aegis of AFC’s Vision Bangladesh project, would prove to be the ideal catalyst for the professional development of the game in the country.

In a message to the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), Bin Hammam said: “The potential for football development in Bangladesh is enormous but this has yet to be fully realised. Vision Bangladesh is designed to provide a framework that with concentrated effort and hard work can enhance the profile and standard of football in your country.”

Bin Hammam continued: “The Bangladesh Professional Football League is an important element and key focus of Vision Bangladesh which will provide a higher platform for the Bangladeshi players, clubs, coaches, referees and officials. I am confident that the Bangladesh League will be the beginning of a new era in the history of Bangladeshi football.”

He said the development of football in Asia was of crucial importance to AFC and that its revolutionary Vision Asia programme held the key to unleashing the potential of football across the vast continent.

The AFC chief lauded the BFF’s commitment to developing and popularising football in the South Asian country.

“Bangladesh was selected by AFC in 2004 as a pilot project because of its great enthusiasm for football, leadership and commitment to progress and change. Since then, the BFF has made admirable progress towards strengthening its activities like administration and management, clubs, competitions, grassroots and youth programmes, coaches’ and referees’ education.”

He congratulated the BFF officials for their hard work and foresight and urged all stakeholders of Bangladeshi football to make the country a formidable force at the international level.