The local football body has also asked the sports ministry to help them make the development fund, informed BFF general secretary Anwarul Haque Helal yesterday.

"We will need Tk 5 crore every year to shape the game. We are talking about improvement in the real sense," said Helal admitting that the standard was not satisfactory.

"We have explained the situation to the sports minister this morning. We need the amount to provide training at the grassroot level," said Helal who accompanied BFF president SA Sultan on a visit to State Minister for Youth and Sports yesterday.

"The money could come from the government or any sponsor. The minister agreed to discuss this with the Finance Ministry immediately."

The BFF does not have any steady source of income and has to depend on government funds. It received about Tk one crore last year from the National Sports Council including Tk 60 lakh for training purpose, mostly for the national level teams.

However, the BFF has been urged by the Asian Football Confederation to concentrate on grassroots as apart of the Asia Vision programme.

Helal also told that the minister has assured them that a three-party meeting among the NSC, BFF and Bangladesh Cricket Board will be held very soon to solve the crisis over the possession of the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

"We need a particular date. Otherwise, we cannot confirm our domestic calendar. It means we will also have to delay the footballers' transfers and the whole process," said a worried looking Helal.

"However, we want a peaceful solution and don't want to continue this mud slinging between federations."

Meanwhile, Japan Football Association's (JFA) International Committee member Ichiro Fujita will arrive Dhaka early next month to finalise the arrangements to give the BFF fund for grassroots training.

The JFA has already accepted a proposal by the BFF, which had demanded 40,000 dollars for this purpose.