BKSP football team to travel to Japan for Sanix Cup

The Under-18 football team of Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan (BKSP) will take part in the Sanix Cup International Youth Football Tournament in Japan this year.

The 21-member BKSP squad is scheduled to leave the country for Japan in the early hours of Sunday.

BKSP Public Relations Officer Md Ashrafuzzaman confirmed the information to The Daily Star through a WhatsApp message.

According to the message, the BKSP team will represent Bangladesh in the Sanix Cup with the support of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF).

A total of 16 teams will compete in the tournament, which will be held in Fukuoka from March 11 to 15. The participating sides include 13 Japanese teams and three foreign teams from Bangladesh, India and South Korea.

BKSP Director (Training) Colonel Md Golam Mabud Hasan will serve as the team manager, while BKSP’s Japanese coach Kai Taguchi will guide the side as head coach.

The 16 teams will be divided into four groups and compete in a round-robin league format. BKSP have been placed in Group D alongside three Japanese teams.

The Sanix Cup is considered one of the prestigious youth football tournaments in Japan. In previous editions, youth teams of renowned clubs such as AC Milan Youth, Inter Milan Youth and Ajax Youth, as well as Under-17 national teams from China, Korea and Japan, have taken part in the competition.