Finals of JFA U-14 set to begin Tuesday without Rangamati

The final round of the JFA U-14 Youth Women's Development Tournament is set to get underway on Tuesday in Rajshahi, but zonal champions Rangamati have withdrawn from the competition, citing a lack of available players and financial constraints.

Khagrachari have been included in place of Rangamati to complete the eight-team final round. The participating teams have been divided into two groups, with the top teams progressing to the semifinals and final. The final is scheduled to take place on September 25.

Hosts Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Rangpur, and Khagrachari have been drawn in Group A, while Group B consists of Thakurgaon, Chapainawabganj, Khulna, and Manikganj.

"Zonal champions Rangamati will not participate in the final round, and runners-up Cox's Bazar have also expressed their inability to compete. Therefore, we have included third-placed Khagrachari in the final round," said BFF women's wing chairperson Mahfuza Akter Kiron at a press conference held at the BFF House on Monday.

Rangamati District Football Association president Borun Dewan said they were forced to withdraw due to player unavailability and financial difficulties.

"We requested the football federation to postpone the finals by a week and begin after September 22, as the inter-school tournament is currently ongoing in Rangamati and school authorities are unwilling to release their players. However, the federation did not accept our request," said former national footballer Dewan in a statement to The Daily Star. "The financial crisis is another reason for Rangamati's withdrawal. It is unfortunate, especially considering this is the region that produced players like Monika Chakma and Ritu Porna Chakma."

The preliminary round of the tournament began in mid-August with participation from 42 districts. The teams were divided into six groups for the zonal phase, with six zonal champions and one best runner-up joining hosts Rajshahi in the eight-team final round.