Sports Desk:
The Bangladesh-Nepal rugby series begins today at the National Stadium. The Rugby Federation organized a press conference yesterday to celebrate the event. After that, players and coaches from both sides took pictures on the field. The Bangladesh Football Federation (BAFUF) has never had players carry trophies in a picture session like this on a football pitch.
Bangladesh and Malaysia will play a women’s football game at the same National Stadium on November 26. On November 23 and 24, right before the football game, there will be rugby contests. The Football Federation has voiced concerns regarding the safety of the field. But Akhtaruzzaman, the Rugby Federation’s Secretary General, put everyone’s mind at ease by saying, “We’ve put up posts, but no holes have been made in the field.” There are only fifteen minutes of play in each of today’s two games. There shouldn’t be any problems on the field because rugby involves a lot of running but the ball stays in possession. “We’re being very careful as we plan the games.”
Bangladesh doesn’t have a specific place for rugby, however national-level games used to be staged at Paltan Maidan. The National Stadium has hosted international rugby games, nevertheless. The Bangladesh team hasn’t had a chance to practice there before today’s game, though.
At the press conference, the coach and captain of the Bangladesh team both said they hoped to win the series against Nepal. The Nepalese captain and coach then talked about how excited they were for the upcoming matches, which they hoped would be tough for the host country, Bangladesh. Nepal was supposed to host the series, but because the country has been politically unstable for a while, the games are now being hosted in Bangladesh. Last week, Nepal’s soccer squad went to Bangladesh and played to a tie with the host team. Though Rugby is popular all throughout the world, but not so much in Bangladesh.
