Bangabandhu SAFF Championship Semifinal lineup drawn, Lebanon set up clash with India

 AIFF Media 

Skipper Hassan Maatouk 24th minute strike steered Lebanon to a 1-0 victory over Maldives in a Group B match while Bangladesh registered a 3-1 victory over Bhutan in their final group match of the Bangabandhu SAFF Championship 2023, at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Wednesday, June 28.

Lebanon tops the group with an all-win record in the four-team group. With this win, Lebanon set up a penultimate round battle with India to be played on Saturday, July 1, 2023, 7:30 PM. The two teams met recently in the final of the Hero Intercontinental Cup in Bhubaneswar, where India emerged the winners. 

Bangladesh, who finished second in the group, will face Group A toppers Kuwait in the semi-finals earlier, 3 PM on the same day.

Bengaluru connection in Bangladesh football

Holding a UEFA Pro License coaching degree and joining another Spaniard, he landed up in the Garden City to head a private football academy more than a decade ago. He then joined the same country mate, assisting him in Goa for an I-League Club. Post that he was attached to a football academy as a Technical Director in Numaligarh Refinery Limited, Assam and then until Covid stuck the world, he was heading the La Liga’s interests in India. 

Javier Cabrera and Oscar Bruzon’s association go a long way. Javier continued Oscar Bruzon’s work at SPT Sports Bangalore and then joined him at Sporting Clube de Goa. 

So, after successfully managing the Bashundhara Kings club in Bangladesh when Oscar suggested Javier to apply for the Bangladesh Senior National Football team head coach, he grabbed the opportunity in both hands. His first experience independently managing a senior national football team after spending several years in the Indian subcontinent. 

The ongoing Bangabandhu SAFF Championship in the Garden City has generated a lot of interest among the Bangladeshi sports lovers. Around 20 media houses are present here. 

Javier is excited to be back in Bangalore. While there are several challenges of managing a senior football team, his contract was extended for one more year, till December 2023. 

Ranked 192 in FIFA ranking Bangladesh played an impressive game against 99th ranked Lebanon in their opening game. The minnows held the much higher ranked opponent to a goalless draw till 79th minute when the boys ran out of steam and succumbed to a two-goal defeat. 

Javier was impressed by the performance of his boys. The next game, against Maldives, again a higher ranked team, was a make-or-break game as far as Bangladesh is concerned. They were down by a goal when the game was 17 minute old, but the boys showed character, and rallied back to win by 3-1 margin.  

When this article gets published, Javier’s boys will be ready to take on Bhutan, ranked few notches above in FIFA ranking. Should Bangladesh win, which is well within the realm of the possible, they will make it to the last four of Bangabandhu SAFF Championship.

Bengaluru to host SAFF Championship in June

AIFF Media 

The SAFF Championship 2023 will be hosted in Bengaluru, Karnataka, from June 21 to July 3, 2023, All India Football Federation President Mr. Kalyan Chaubey announced in the city on Sunday, March 19, 2023.

AIFF Secretary General Dr. Shaji Prabhakaran was present on the occasion, along with AIFF Vice President and Karnataka State Football Association President Mr. NA Haris and Karnataka Olympic Association President Dr. K Govindaraj.

This will be the 14th edition of the tournament, and India will be hosting it for the fourth time. Over the years, the Blue Tigers have asserted their dominance in the SAFF Championship, winning it eight times; the Maldives are the closest to India, having won the title twice.

The 2023 SAFF Championship will be played from June 21 to July 3, with all member associations of the SAFF are expected to fight it out for the top prize.

The tournament will see the teams divided into two groups and play round-robin matches in the group stage, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the semi-finals. The date for the Draw will be announced later.

"It is an extremely happy occasion for me to announce to all of you that we would be hosting the SAFF Championship in Bengaluru in June/July this year," said Mr. Chaubey. "SAFF is a great opportunity for us to promote love and brotherhood between all the countries in the South Asian region, and I am sure that the players of each National Team will do everything in their power to give a great account of their countries.

"I would like to welcome all the visiting teams with open arms, as we promote brotherhood across borders. Football is one of the most powerful ways to spread the message of love between people, and it is a moment of pride for us to be able to host all of them," he said.

A former India International, Mr. Chaubey had won the SAFF Championship on two occasions with the Blue Tigers – 1999 in Goa, and 2005 in Karachi.

"I’ve myself won the SAFF Championship on two occasions, and I can tell you from a player’s perspective how special it is to lift that trophy, and get that medal," said Mr. Chaubey. "I am sure all of our players will be raring to go and play out there with big hearts."