Bangladesh must rise above ‘terrible SAFF level’: Butler

Head coach Peter Butler described SAFF-level football as "terrible", stressing that the Bangladesh women's team must regularly compete at a much higher standard if they want to improve.

"These girls have been used to playing at the SAFF level. SAFF level is terrible. SAFF level is not strong. You've got to compete at the AFC level," Butler said after his side went down 2-1 following a spirited display against European outfit Azerbaijan in the final match of the Infinix Tri-Nation Tournament, which also involved Malaysia, at the National Stadium on Tuesday.

Butler, however, expressed satisfaction with his players, who failed to register a single point in the Tri-Nation Series organised by the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) as part of preparations for next year's AFC Women's Asian Cup in Australia.

"We played against a very strong team who, in all fairness, get lots of funding, have professional leagues, and have great facilities. Before the game, I told the girls that all I ask is to make a game of it… We didn't have enough quality at the end of the day, but that's because we don't have a professional league. Until Bangladesh puts a professional league in place, you're going to have huge issues, big problems, irrespective of who is in charge or coaching.

"They've shown tonight that they have many players competing across Eastern Europe -- Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, etc. And that's the level we need to be playing at regularly, and the level we need to be competing with if we want to improve," he added.

Bangladesh have been drawn with China, North Korea, and Uzbekistan in the AFC Women's Asian Cup, and Butler is focused on reaching that level by facing stronger opponents in the buildup. 

Asked about the preparation plan for the next three months, Butler said, "I would play stronger opposition right up to the tournament, if we could. And if we got beaten, as long as we learn from it, it doesn't matter whether I'm in charge or someone else is."

The women in red and green performed comparatively better than they had against Malaysia, showing intent throughout the match and challenging Azerbaijan at times.

"It was a different game against Azerbaijan. Malaysia defended deep. But you've got to remember you're playing against a team with better quality -- they had more quality than Malaysia. I thought we played better, more controlled football against Malaysia. Tonight, maybe we rushed it a little bit, but I'm proud of the girls. All I wanted is for them to give their all like they did against Malaysia, and most importantly, make a game of it. And they did. They took it to the brink. They conceded a sloppy goal six to seven minutes from time, and the first goal was also sloppy," Butler said.

Azerbaijan coach Asgarov Slyasat praised Bangladesh's approach, saying they took the game seriously and posed challenges in the first 15 minutes.

Slyasat, however, believes Bangladesh lag in physicality, fitness, age, and experience compared to the Azerbaijan players, many of whom have been playing abroad for a long time and are therefore far more experienced than the youthful Bangladesh side.