HTML clipboardA 21-member Bangladesh national football team left here Friday morning for Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan to play the AFC Challenge Cup (Group C) qualifiers with the hope of qualifying to the finals, reports agency.

Veteran defender Hasan Al Mamun will lead the young side while Abu Yousuf will be coach-cum-manager in the three nations meet.It was learnt that the decision was made on April 30, the day the newly elected executive committee of the Bangladesh Football Federation took over charge.

BFF president Kazi Salahuddin had named coach Yousuf as the manager of the tour, and set aside 'controversial' member Amirul Islam Babu from doing the managerial job of the national team.

Team doctor Shahinur Rahman Parvez was also asked to assist the coach in the managerial task. BFF vice president Badal Roy and member Hasanuzzaman Khan Bablu saw off the players at the airport.

Coach Yousuf said their target was to finish top among three teams. "You never achieve the goal until you set a target for the boys and force them to do it and we are certainly going to qualify for the finals of the Challenge Cup," Yousuf told reporters at the Zia International Airport Friday.

It was scheduled to be a four nations meet, but Laos at the eleven hour, pulled out of the qualifiers, and Bangladesh will begin their campaign taking on Afghanistan on May 5 at the Central Stadium of the Kyrgyz capital. Bangladesh, who hosted the inaugural AFC Challenge Cup in 2006, will face hosts Kyrgyzstan on May 9.

"If the boys can show their potential on the day, then we will achieve success," said captain Hasan Al Mamun. The national footballers geared up at Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan for one month – three weeks for fitness training and one week for practice with ball, but they only played a warm-up match against the Bangladesh Army team.

"We might have lack of playing warm-up matches, but I believe we will play good football," striker Jahid Hasan Emily said, "I won't miss the target if I get proper feeds from the midfielders." Meanwhile, three champions from Group B, C and D will join direct qualifiers North Korea, Myanmar, Turkmenistan, hosts India and Group A champions Sri Lanka in the 8-team finals, scheduled for July 30 to August 10 at Gachibowli Stadium, Hyderabad in India. Coach Yousuf has also sketched a probable playing eleven.

They are goalie Aminul Haq, defenders Hasan Al Mamun, Wali Faisal, Ranaji Kanta Barmon, Mofazzel Hossain Saikat, midfielders Arup Kumar Baidya, Arman Aziz, Jahed Parvez, Mamunul Islam Mamun, strikers Mehdi Hasan Ujjal and Jahid Hasan Emily.

Apart from these players, Biplob Bhattacharya, Ariful Islam, Ashiqul Islam Mishu, Enamul Haq Sharif, Faisal Mahmud and M Maruf Ahmed are other members on the 18-member squad.