2009 SAFF Championship
The 2009 South Asian Football Federation Championship was hosted by Bangladesh from 4 to 13 December 2009. Bangladesh was awarded to host the tournament after the withdrawal of original hosts India.
 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Bangladesh |
| Dates | 4 December – 13 December |
| Teams | 8 |
| Venue(s) | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  India (5th title) |
| Runners-up |  Maldives |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 15 |
| Goals scored | 42 (2.8 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Enamul Haque Ahmed Thariq  E.B. Channa (4 goals each) |
| Best player(s) | Arindam Bhattacharya |
After India's reluctance to host the tournament, in May 2009, at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) president Kazi Salahuddin on his return from the AFC Congress informed that although India were still retaining their status as hosts of the championship, Bangladesh and Nepal had turned in fresh bids in anticipation of staging this prestigious eight-nation meet.
A decision was taken at the FIFA Congress in Bahamas in the first week of June[1] but no announcement was officially made. In July, with the tournament drawing ever closer, media reports once again suggested that the tournament would be moved once again to Bangladesh, as Pakistan would struggle to obtain visas if the tournament is hosted in India.[2]
On 31 August 2009, it was reported that the tournament would be held in Bangladesh, after the Indian football association (AIFF) had its annual congress at the end of August. This was formally confirmed by the AFC on 10 September through a press release.[3]
Venue
The Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka was the only venue for the tournament. It is also home venue for Bangladesh national football team.
| Dhaka |
|---|
| Bangabandhu National Stadium |
| Capacity: 36,000 |
 |
Draw
The draw for the tournament was made on 3 October 2009.[4] India took part with their olympic team, though all the matches are considered as full A internationals.[5]
| Group A | Group B |
|---|---|
|
|
|
Group stage
Group A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maldives |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 7 |
| India |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
 Nepal |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Afghanistan |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 0 |
| Afghanistan | 0–3 | Nepal |
|---|---|---|
| Report | A. Gurung  55', 73' B. Gurung 56' |
Group B
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 7 |
| Sri Lanka |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 6 |
 Pakistan |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 4 |
 Bhutan |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 17 | −16 | 0 |
| Bangladesh | 4–1 | Bhutan |
|---|---|---|
| Prantosh Kumar Das 11' Haque 22', 51' Jahid Hasan Amily 72' |
Report | Dendup 42' (pen.) |
Knockout stage
Goalscorers
- 4 goals
- Enamul Haque
- Ahmed Thariq
- Channa Ediri Bandalage
- 3 goals
- 2 goals
- Sushil Kumar Singh
- Anil Gurung
- Muhammad Essa
- Chathura Gunarathne
- 1 goal
References
- "BFF bids for SAFF meet". The Daily Star. Bangladesh. 12 May 2009.
- http://www.indianfootball.com/en/news/articleId/1267 | SAFF Cup 2009 to be shifted?
- "Bangladesh to host SAFF Championship". The-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 10 September 2009. Retrieved 10 September 2009.
- "Hosts avoid India". The Daily Star. Bangladesh. 4 October 2009. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
- http://www.indianfootball.com/en/news/articleId/1916