Butler's ‘future Bangladesh’ square off against UAE today

After a gap of almost five months since the successful title-defence of the SAFF Women's Championship in October last year, Bangladesh national women's team are set to play an international match as they take on hosts United Arab Emirates in one of two friendly matches in Dubai.

The match, that will get underway at 9:30pm (Bangladesh time), will however not feature the same group of players who had enthralled the country's football fans by winning their second successive SAFF title starting the campaign with a hard-fought draw against Pakistan. Instead, it will be an almost new group of players who will be fielded today, having made the pledge to prove themselves in absence of 18 rebel senior players.

Over last the three weeks, the rebel footballers drew all the attention after boycotting the team's training camp under English coach Peter Butler, who however silently worked with the new group of players alongside eight players who were part of the SAFF campaign.

Even though Butler said the country's football fans should be realistic and pragmatic regarding where Bangladesh team stand at the moment, players like Afieda Khandokar, Surma Jannat, Kohati Kisku, Swapna Rani, Shaheda Akter Ripa, Munki Akhter, Sauravi Akanda Prity and Yearzan Begum will be key to Butler's 'future Bangladesh.'

These players have proved themselves in different age-group teams as well as in the senior team whenever they came on as substitutes while the new players will try to cement their places in the senior teams by performing well.

"There are many new players in the squad and it is a new experience for them as well and a rare opportunity for them and I discussed this matter with them. Coach Peter Butler also spoke about everything with the girls. It's been a friendly atmosphere and I am also motivated after talking to the team. We are really hopeful that they will really perform well and produce a good result," BFF's vice-president Fahad Karim, who was accompanying the team, said in a video message from Dubai.

The only problem regarding preparation is that the team reached Dubai yesterday morning and got only one practice session before facing the hosts, who are 16 places ahead of Bangladesh in FIFA ranking.