ABU YUSUF

Abu Yusuf has asked the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) to relieve him of his duties as the federation coach following the national team's disastrous performance in the recently concluded SAFF Championship.
Yusuf was appointed as one of the four BFF coaches in March and the former national footballer was immediately given charge of the national team for two international tournaments, the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers in Kyrgyzstan and the fifth SAFF Championship in Maldives and Sri Lanka.
Yusuf, who was told to submit a report of the team's performance in the last three and a half months to the BFF by today, also submitted a letter requesting his release with the report on Monday night to BFF president Kazi Salahuddin.
"I was only given the national team for two tournaments and it was over as soon as the SAFF ended. However, I want to be relieved as a BFF coach," Yusuf told the Daily Star last night.
"My previous assignments for the BFF were contract basis but this time, I was officially appointed as a BFF coach along with three others as part of its development programme.
"I don't want to continue because I feel the total management at the BFF does not favour any coach.
"It happened before with foreign coaches and no one in the past has signed off properly. It also happened to me.
"I admit the failure to give the national team result but I would also add that the atmosphere is not coach-friendly. I expected better from the new BFF committee but it has yet to change the tradition," complained the former centre-back adding that he did not have the freedom while running the show.
"I was not able to work according to my wish or plans. However, I don't want to comment any more because I have written all the things I remember in my report."
"The players and coaches are usually made scapegoats to hide the real scene. But I hope that it would not happen again.
"The BFF now has a leader like Salahuddin bhai who was a great player. I hope he would be able to change things and provide coaches the right environment to work in the future," added the outgoing coach who would now consider return to the domestic scene.
"Before the BFF job, I had offers from Mohammedan, Rahmatganj and Sheikh Russel for the professional league. I could join any of them if the offers are still open."
Bangladesh finished last in a three-team Challenge Cup qualifying group after drawing 1-1 with eventual winners Afghanistan and losing 2-0 to hosts Kyrgyzstan. In the SAFF, they finished third in the group stage behind Sri Lanka and Bhutan who reached the semifinals. Bangladesh drew their opener with Bhutan 1-1, held Afghanistan 2-2 before losing to the Lankans by a solitary goal.
Although BFF chief Salahuddin has already announced he would import coaches for the senior and junior national teams, it seems that a foreign coach's arrival would be delayed by at least six months.
Not only the negotiation with a foreign coach would take some time but the BFF also does not have enough funds to appoint foreign coaches right at the moment.
Salahuddin, a player-turned national coach, wants to take some time before choosing and had admitted just a day before Yusuf's decision that the BFF did not have much candidates in hand.
It looks certain that Bangladesh will play two international tournaments in Indonesia and Malaysia in August and October this year under a local expert but a foreign coach could take over in early 2009 for preparation for next year's South Asian Games in Dhaka and the sixth SAFF Championship in India.