I haven’t been back home for a long time. But I still understand the struggles of being a woman in Bangladesh. I hear it a lot from friends and family. It is slowly getting there, but really slow.
Inspite of all the barriers that they faced, the Bangladesh women’s football team won this year’s SAFF women’s championship. The last time the men’s team won this championship was in 2003. They haven’t won it for almost 2 decades. Compared to the investment the men’s team gets that is really disappointing.
On the other hand, the women’s team doesn’t get anything. They hardly get good investment from the authorities. They don’t get similar facilities. But what they don’t get they cover up with hard work and willpower.
I don’t want to lie. I haven’t watched any of the games live. I watched the highlights. I don’t know the names of most of them. But I can tell from my surface-level knowledge that they have the heart and the soul of champions. Not just on the field but off the field. To do what they did was very important for them and the country.
I hope this sets a positive example for everyone in the country. I hope this also influences some change in how much investment is put into women’s sports in Bangladesh. Hope this is the first of many.