Protest ends: Women footballers to return to training under Coach Butler

After more than two weeks of protest, 18 female footballers who had threatened to quit if their coach, Peter Butler, remained in charge, have finally called off their strike. 

The footballers had initially taken a strong stand, saying they wouldn‍‍`t continue playing under Butler‍‍`s supervision, but have now agreed to return to training. 

This decision came after continuous talks with the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), particularly its Women‍‍`s Wing chairperson, Mahfuza Akter.

On Sunday, February 16, Mahfuza Akter confirmed at a press conference held at the BFF office that the players would be rejoining training under Butler. 

She explained, "I’ve been regularly speaking with the players, and after today’s meeting, I can confidently say they will return to training." This news was first reported by Prothom Alo.

Although the players have agreed to return, they will not be part of the upcoming training sessions right away. 

Key players like Sabina Khatun and Rituparna Chakma, along with other senior footballers involved in the protest, will be taking some time off before they resume training. 

According to Mahfuza, they will also miss the Bangladesh women‍‍`s football team‍‍`s upcoming tour to the United Arab Emirates. "The camp will close on February 24, and the team will leave for the UAE. 

The senior players have requested a break and will return to the camp later to resume training," Mahfuza elaborated.

The women‍‍`s football team has scheduled two matches against the UAE on February 26 and March 2, but none of the 18 players involved in the protest, including prominent figures like Sabina and Monika, will be part of the squad for these games.

Earlier in the day, Mahfuza had a meeting with the protesting players where several issues were discussed. It was during this meeting that the players decided to withdraw their ultimatum and agreed to return to training. 

However, Mahfuza acknowledged that there are still some unresolved matters with the players. 

"The Women’s Wing, BFF president, senior vice-president, coach, and the players will all sit together to clear any misunderstandings. Since they’ll be training together again, it’s important to resolve any lingering issues, or it could lead to problems later on," she said.

The protest, which started more than two weeks ago, gained attention on January 30 when Sabina and her fellow players presented a written, three-page complaint against Butler in front of the BFF headquarters. 

They expressed dissatisfaction with the coach and declared that they wouldn’t train or continue their careers unless Butler was removed.

In response, the BFF quickly formed a seven-member investigation committee led by senior vice-president Imrul Hasan. 

After an investigation, the committee submitted a report to BFF President Tabith Awal, who made multiple attempts to convince the players to return to training. 

The Women’s Wing also held several meetings with the protesting footballers, but they remained firm in their stance until they finally agreed to resume training on Sunday.

This decision ends a standoff that could have affected the future of women’s football in Bangladesh, and the team now looks forward to getting back on track, despite the absence of some key players for the upcoming UAE matches.