Women's football match suspended in Sunamganj
Graphics: Agamir Somoy
A women’s football match was suspended at the last minute after opponents claimed girls’ football promotes “dancing” and “obscenity” and would corrupt local youth in Derai, Sunamganj.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Sanjib Sarker confirmed the matter.
On Monday at 4:30 pm, the girls’ friendly football match was scheduled to be held at the Derai Upazila Stadium. The match was set between Sylhet’s Jara Sporting Club and Derai’s Swapnachura Sporting Club.
Several individuals, including Maulana Sharif Uddin met with UNO on Sunday night. They expressed objections to organizing the girls’ football match. They claimed that organizing sports at the stadium by bringing in girls from outside could lead to “obscenity”.
Organizers said Swapnachura Sporting Club began its journey in 2019. The team is composed of local teenage girls. In 2019, at the invitation of this club, seven girls’ football teams from seven districts across the country played in Derai. The players of Swapnachura have also traveled to and played in various parts of the country, including Dhaka, and have participated in sports at the national level.
Swapnachura Sporting Club President and Coach Rakib Ahmed Bhuiyan was surprised at the sudden obstruction to the match after so long. He said, “A written application was submitted to the UNO five days ago seeking permission to organize the match. We also have the received copy of that application.”
However, receiving an application does not automatically mean it has been approved, and UNO Sanjib Sarkar did not clarify whether permission had actually been granted.
UNO Sanjib added, “The match organizers themselves suspended the match. On Sunday night, after announcements were made via loudspeaker regarding the women’s match, officials from several nearby madrasas contacted me. They expressed objections about conducting sports by bringing women from outside. Later, I told them to settle the matter among themselves.”
Additional Superintendent of Police of Derai Circle Md Humayun Kabir said upon learning about the disagreement among locals regarding the game, he inquired with the UNO whether any official permission had been taken. He informed that no permission was granted. Following this, he called the organizers over the phone and asked them to organize the match at a later date.
