Staff Reporter

Just two days remain before the SAFF tournament kicks off in Dhaka, but visible gaps in preparations remain. The trophy unveiling ceremony has been cancelled, while complications have emerged over travel and accommodation arrangements for several teams. Overall, questions have been raised about the tournament's management.

Traditionally, the trophy is unveiled before the start of a SAFF tournament. Even when no formal ceremony is arranged, team captains and coaches usually attend a press conference on the eve of the competition. They also get an opportunity to pose for photographs with the trophy. However, neither arrangement will take place this time.

Sajib Rashid, chief executive officer of TSA, the company that acquired the tournament's commercial rights, said the trophy would not be unveiled at tomorrow's press conference. He said a different plan had been made for presenting the trophy.

According to standard international tournament practices, participating teams are expected to arrive in the host country two days before the competition begins. However, the Maldives team did not arrive in Dhaka within the scheduled timeframe. The other teams have already reached the capital.

Although Bangladesh is hosting the tournament, the responsibility for its management has been assigned to TSA, a sports event management company. The company is also arranging air tickets for the visiting teams. According to various sources, the Maldives team was not provided with tickets on the scheduled date. However, an official of TSA has disputed this allegation.

Sajib Rashid said Bhutan and Sri Lanka purchased their own tickets to travel to Dhaka, and TSA reimbursed their expenses. The Maldives team will also arrange its own tickets. As its first match is scheduled for November 8, the team will arrive in Dhaka on November 5 with permission from SAFF.

Meanwhile, several teams have faced difficulties even after arriving in Dhaka. Yesterday, the Bhutan team had to wait at the airport for nearly two hours. Today, the Sri Lankan team encountered complications over hotel arrangements. These incidents have also raised questions about coordination and management by the organisers.

Meanwhile, promotional and branding activities for the tournament are still not visible at the National Stadium. TSA has said branding work at the stadium will begin on Tuesday night. Although a press conference was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, journalists were informed about it only at around 10:00 pm.

Overall, dissatisfaction has emerged over coordination among the organising company, the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) and the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) ahead of the tournament. Overcoming the remaining gaps in preparation and management within the limited time available is now a major challenge to ensuring the competition runs smoothly.