Bangabandhu Gold Cup International Football tournament will be held at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in the capital from January 15, Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) Kazi Mohammed Salahuddin confirmed it yesterday.

Meanwhile, a signing ceremony between BFF and K Sports, the right holders of 6th edition of the tournament was held at the BFF Bhaban yesterday.

Abdus Salam Murshedi, senior vice-president of the BFF and the chairmen of the organising committee of the tournament and Fahad MA Karim, CEO of the K Sports signed on behalf of their respective parties.

BFF president Kazi Mohammed Salahuddin during the signing ceremony said that this time the tournament  will take place  in Dhaka.

“We deferred the tournament from November 2019 to January 2020 just to be part of the ‘Mujib Borsha’ centenary birth anniversary of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.”

“So we decided to hold the tournament after the name of the Father of Nation, at the stadium which also named ‘Bangabandhu National Stadium,” Salahuddin explained not to organize the tournament in different venues outside Dhaka this time.

Some of the previous editions of the tournament were held in the different venues outside Dhaka, while last year it was take place in Dhaka, Sylhet and Cox’s Bazar.

Fahad Karim, CEO of the KS Sports, the sponsor of the tournament said, “For our sincerity and great honour to the Father of Nation, BFF involved us with the tournament again and I think it is an impressive way to reminisce Bangabandhu.”

Fahad also informed the reporters that this time they are taking the initiative for digital telecast system through Facebook to watch the tournament all over the world.

About the world football stars’ presence to grace the tournament, general secretary of the BFF  Abu Nayeem Shohag said that FIFA is in process to manage the stars and decide who will be available during that time.

“We actually not sure who will be available to have in the Bangabandhu Gold Cup, we just contacted with FIFA and through them we will know and it would be by January 5,” said Shohag.  

Earlier, the general secretary of the BFF recently informed that they made a list of 12 star booters while he also shortlisted five stars – Ronaldinho, Paolo Maldini, Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Dedier Drogba.