Eliminate discrimination against women's football team

Bangladesh recently became the undefeated champion in the SAFF Under-20 Women's Championship by defeating Nepal 4-0. Earlier, in 2023, the indomitable girls had also won this title. The success story of the women footballers is quite glorious. Before becoming champions in the age-based SAFF tournament, the Bangladesh senior women's team created history in Myanmar. But the unfortunate news is that even after so much success, the women's football team is deprived. This question is not just for sports enthusiasts, but for all conscious citizens of the country: when will there be equality between male and female players?

The two teams, male and female national football teams, take to the field under the same national flag. They sweat; they fight for victory. Yet their paths are completely different. One team walks on a red-carpeted road, the other on a road of thorns. The Bangladesh men’s and women’s football teams seem to stand at opposite poles. While there is an abundance of facilities and support for the men, the women receive barely anything worth mentioning. The path of the women’s team is full of discrimination and neglect.

Despite limited time and opportunities, the Bangladesh women's football team has gone far ahead of the men’s team, and the statistics prove it. According to the available data, since its inception in 2010 till July 2025, the Bangladesh women's team has played 70 FIFA-recognised matches. Among them, they have won 28. The winning percentage is 40. They have lost 31 and drawn 11. On the other hand, from 2010 to July 2025, over 15 years, the men’s team has played 127 FIFA-recognised matches. They have won only 35. The win rate is 27 percent. They have lost 62 and drawn 30.

Even after such success, the state demonstrates discriminatory behaviour towards the women footballers in everything from the salary structure to the provision of other facilities. In men’s football, the BFF informs in advance when the league will start and end, which field it will be played on, when the Independence Cup will take place, when the new Challenge Cup will begin—everything is pre-scheduled. There is a calendar. The professional league has been running since 2007. It has been held every year since then. But for the women footballers, there is no calendar. No structure. Since the last league held in May 2024, 13 months have passed. No domestic football competition has been organised for women. The league takes place once a year, and that too on a very limited scale. Teams have to be invited with requests. In the last league, top players of the national team were unable to get any team.

There is also a huge disparity in remuneration. Just two or three years ago, top male footballers were receiving Tk 80-90 lakh annually from clubs. A few even received over Tk 1 crore. After the political transition on August 5 last year, these figures have decreased significantly. Still, they remain in a range between Tk 40 lakh to Tk 50 lakh. The number of players receiving Tk 40-50 lakh from clubs annually is around 15 to 20. On the other hand, a top female player used to receive Tk 4-5 lakh four to five years ago, and now perhaps that amount has increased by Tk 2-4 lakh. In salary, coaching, and accommodation, the gap between male and female footballers is huge. Yet if the achievements of men’s football appear faded, the record of the women’s team is much brighter. The Bangladesh men’s national team began its journey in international football in 1973, whereas the women had to wait another 37 years. In January 2010, Bangladesh stepped into the international arena through the SAFF Women’s Football Championship in Dhaka. But despite beginning much later than the men, what the women have achieved deserves to be written in golden letters.

We want women footballers to be given equal opportunities and facilities by the state, just as the male footballers receive. Around the world, women footballers are victims of discrimination, but in Bangladesh, this discrimination is far more severe. There is no alternative to regularly organising domestic leagues for the development of women’s football. Some tournaments also need to be added. Playing more international matches has long been a demand of the women. It is also essential to produce female coaches and organisers. If women's participation is increased under BFF leadership, women’s football will gain more momentum. Socially, too, our perspective towards women footballers needs to change. The success of women footballers will inspire the neglected and deprived women of Bangladesh. It will play a significant role in establishing women’s rights.