SAFF U-20 Women's Football: Two fields in two halves of one match, SAFF General Secretary explains the controversy.

In a rare incident during the SAFF U-20 Women's Football Tournament, a match between Bangladesh and Bhutan was played on two different fields across its two halves. This unusual event sparked questions in the football community, to which SAFF General Secretary Purushottam Kattel has provided an explanation. The first half of the match, held yesterday at the Bashundhara Kings Arena, was disrupted by heavy rain, rendering the field unplayable. After a three-hour break, the second half of the match was played on the Kings Arena practice ground. This marks the first time such an incident has occurred in an international tournament hosted in Bangladesh.

Kattel stated, "At 4:02 PM (the scheduled start time for the second half), a half-hour delay was announced. After inspecting the field, another half-hour delay was declared. When the game still couldn't resume, it was declared abandoned as per the bylaws." He further explained that after the match was abandoned, SAFF consulted with the two participating teams, the referee, and the match commissioner to determine a new time and venue for the remaining part of the game.

The tournament's bylaws, specifically Article 16, outline the procedures for match abandonment. Clauses 16.1 'A' and 'B' state that after two half-hour suspensions, the referee will declare the match abandoned. Furthermore, Article 16.2 dictates, "Within two hours of a match being declared abandoned, SAFF will make a decision regarding the match result or the game itself, considering sporting and organizational aspects."

The match was declared abandoned after 5:00 PM due to waterlogging at the Bashundhara Kings Arena. SAFF then discussed the venue change and new schedule with all relevant parties. While changing venues in international football is not a common or established practice, the SAFF General Secretary commented, "I discussed this with the AFC. The AFC said they don't have such provisions and have never done anything like this. However, they did state that SAFF or the organizers could do so with the consent of the teams, considering the situation. What we did was with the consent of the referee, the match commissioner, and both teams."

Games are sometimes postponed to the next day or the end of a tournament due to natural causes or other reasons. However, the packed schedule of the SAFF U-20 tournament was another reason for playing the remaining half of the match at an alternative venue yesterday. Kattel said, "Both teams were very cooperative. If the remaining part of the match hadn't been played yesterday, it would have had to be played today. And tomorrow there's another full match. It would have been very difficult for both teams. Also, if yesterday's game had been played much later, there would have been issues with flights and hotels. Considering everything, the match was completed this way."

It is notable that the National Stadium, after its renovation, no longer suffers from waterlogging during rain. However, the BFF opted to host the women's tournament at Kings Arena instead of the National Stadium, which has intensified discussions about the venue change in the current situation. Regarding this, the SAFF General Secretary stated, "This is up to the BFF. If they wish, they can apply or propose to us. We will then discuss it with the executive committee and make a decision."

According to the schedule, two matches are set for tomorrow (July 17). Two match commissioners overseeing the SAFF U-20 Women's Tournament will inspect the Kings Arena and the practice ground today. A decision regarding tomorrow's match venue will be made based on their report.

The Kings Arena pitch has become muddy due to the rain. With two matches already played, the field's condition has further deteriorated. Regarding why the adjacent practice ground, also grassy, did not accumulate water, Mohammad Yahia, the groundskeeper at Kings Arena, explained, "The Kings Arena stadium pitch is over five years old. Continuous matches during heavy rainfall have made the pitch's condition fragile. The practice ground is newer and, as it hasn't hosted matches, it is comparatively better."

The weakness of the Kings Arena pitch was identified earlier, and even slight rain causes it to become heavy. The Kings authorities had intended to renovate it by replacing the grass and soil, but the renovation never happened. With an international women's tournament being held at Kings Arena during the rainy season, both the federation and Bashundhara Kings find themselves in a challenging situation.