Sheikh Jamal confirm IFA Shield perticipation

Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club Limited have confirmed their participation in the 121-year-old annual football IFA Shield tournament in India, which is organised by the Indian Football Association. The last season league runners-up are expected to depart for the tournament on January 26 or 27.

The new Dhaka powerhouse earlier received an invitation from All India Football Federation (AIFF) to participate in the tournament, which is considered the fourth oldest club cup competition in the world. The 14-day tournament is scheduled to begin on January 29 but the fixtures have not been confirmed yet.

Sheikh Jamal manager Anwarul Karim Helal said they might play in the opening day and will leave for India two or three days before the tournament kicked off.

“We are playing in the tournament. This is one of oldest competitions in the world and it will be a big challenge for us. The tournament will start from January 29 and we could play on the opening day so we might leave on January 26 or 27,” said Helal on the phone yesterday. “We preparing ourselves for the tournament and will give our best there.”

However, Sheikh Jamal have two ongoing Bangladesh Premier League games during that time. Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) general secretary said that they would reschedule the fixtures for Sheikh Jamal due to their stay in India. “We will talk about it with Abdus Salam Murshedy (BFF senior vice president) tomorrow to change their fixtures. However, the league will be on,”  

This will be the first time in five yearsthat a Bangladeshi club will participate in the one of the most prestigious tournaments in the sub-continent. Mohammedan participated in the invitational tournament in 2008.