Bronze for BFF, but gold standard still distant

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) received the AFC President's Recognition Award for Grassroots Football in the Bronze category on Thursday night at a dazzling ceremony in Riyadh, marking a rare positive moment amid concerns over the country's continued struggle to produce quality footballers.

Under new president Tabith Awal, the BFF was recognised for expanding local tournaments, partnering with youth academies on educational programmes, and promoting inclusivity through initiatives such as child safeguarding, women's empowerment in the Hill Tracts, and the Street Children Festival.

The honour acknowledges the new committee's active year, but also highlights a long-standing weakness: the neglect of grassroots development that has left men's football stagnant. Despite 17 years of professional league football, most top-tier clubs lack genuine youth academies, existing only on paper to meet formal requirements -- something the BFF has long overlooked.

Globally, clubs form the backbone of player development, and without such systems, Bangladesh's progress will remain limited. While expatriate players like Hamza Choudhury and Shamit Shome have revived interest, sustainable growth depends on a nationwide youth structure and stricter enforcement of development standards at club level.

The AFC also recognised Bangladesh's grassroots work in women's football, where an unconventional system -- keeping players in year-round training at the BFF dormitory -- has yielded remarkable results. Within a decade, Bangladesh's women reached the AFC Women's Asian Cup, proving the impact of structured development even without a domestic league.

This is not the BFF's first international recognition: under previous president Kazi Salahuddin, it won the AFC "Aspiring Award" in 2015. However, progress stalled as football's growth remained Dhaka-centric, and by 2023, FIFA sanctioned the federation over fund mismanagement, banning its general secretary for three years and restricting financial support.

Now, under Tabith, the challenge is to avoid repeating past mistakes and turn the AFC Bronze award into a springboard for sustainable reform -- one that could, in time, lead Bangladesh towards the AFC Grassroots Gold standard achieved by nations like the UAE.