The SAFF Championship-winning women footballers were greeted with flowers by the countrymen including State Minister for Youth and Sports Zahid Hasan Russell and other dignitaries.

An open-top bus was prepared to greet them. The tigresses finally touched down at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 1:50 pm on Wednesday, reports UNB.

The scheduled programme underwent some adjustments. The press conference was called off due to a huge crowd and chaos.

However, Sabina Khatun, captain of the Bangladesh women's football team, talked to the media when they exited Dhaka airport’s VIP lounge. Sabina praised Bangladesh Football Federation for supporting them and expressed gratitude for how the entire nation backed women's football.

"Thank you very much, everyone. We are very grateful for being received so warmly. I am very grateful to the state minister and all the officials of the Football Federation. We are ecstatic that you love football so much. Thank you all. Please pray for us. And this trophy belongs to the 16 crore …18 crore people of Bangladesh.”

When asked, "What is your next target?”, Sabina said, “Since we made this achievement in South Asia, now we will have to figure out how to move forward.”

“Our SAFF achievement is understandable if you look at our journey”

The women's football team then boarded the open-top bus that had been assigned to them and departed for Bangladesh Football Federation.

The women team's triumph in the SAFF Championship 2022 is a major accomplishment and evokes tremendous emotions. Some of the girls in this squad have well-documented histories of hardship and sacrifice that led them to where they are now. Sabina commended the Bangladesh Football Federation for giving them guidance during the past ten years.

“The biggest credit goes to Bangladesh Football Federation Chairman Kazi Mohammad Salahuddin Sir. We have Women's Wing Chairman Kiran Apa along with concerned officials and the support of our minister. With everyone's efforts, women's football has been making significant progress since 2012, and if you see the success in the last 4 to 5 years and the hard work of the girls, the result is understandable. So, congratulations to Bangladesh Football Federation President Salahuddin Sir. We are really thankful to everyone.”

Sanjida Akhtar, who was trending on social media for a heartwarming post, praised the sports minister for fulfilling her dream of riding on an open-top bus to celebrate the SAFF championship victory.

Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul