The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has once again extended the contract of its Technical Director, Saiful Bari Titu, with the new agreement set to run from Tuesday until December 31st of the current year. This marks the latest in a series of short-term extensions for Titu, whose previous three-month deal, renewed in April, expired yesterday. The new appointment letter was signed on the very day his prior contract concluded.
The decision to prolong Titu's tenure comes amidst persistent speculation surrounding the BFF's search for a foreign Technical Director. Just last week, former Bangladesh national football team coach, Dutchman Lodewijk de Kruif, was unexpectedly linked with the Technical Director role. However, with Titu's contract now renewed, de Kruif's potential appointment appears, for the time being, to remain mere rumour.
Sources close to the federation suggest that the BFF is still actively seeking a foreign candidate for the pivotal Technical Director position. Should a suitable individual be identified before December, it is understood that Titu could be reassigned to another role, potentially as Head of Coaching Education.
Saiful Bari Titu was initially appointed Technical Director during the final year of Kazi Salahuddin's presidency, with that one-year contract concluding in March 2025. The new president, Tabith Awal, and his technical committee initially extended Titu's contract by three months.
The latest six-month extension has reportedly been granted without a formal meeting of the Technical Committee, highlighting a somewhat unconventional approach to key appointments.
Over the past 15 months, Titu's activities as Technical Director have largely followed a conventional path, including overseeing several coaching courses, coaching a youth team, and attending various AFC meetings and seminars in Malaysia. While both the BFF and Titu appear content with this arrangement, it raises questions about the broader strategic direction of Bangladeshi football.
The role of a Technical Director in developed footballing nations typically involves formulating comprehensive technical roadmaps and providing detailed technical reports on domestic leagues – elements that are conspicuously absent in Bangladeshi football.
Adding to the scrutiny of the BFF's operational practices, the federation recently issued multiple recruitment notices to strengthen its technical department, specifically inviting applications for male and female development coaches.
This stands in stark contrast to the appointment of former women's team coach Golam Rabbani Choton as Head of Youth Development and the BFF Elite Football Academy on the second day of the year, a significant role that was filled without any prior public advertisement.
The general practice for any appointment should involve a clear public notice and application process, yet the Head of Academy position was filled without one, only for the BFF to then seek coaches to work under him five months later.
