A man cleans a framed picture of FIFA president Joseph Blatter at the BFF Bhaban on Monday. The FIFA supremo is due today for a short visit to the country. — Sourav Loskar

FIFA president Joseph Blatter will arrive in Dhaka today on a short visit to announce FIFA’s assistance for Bangladesh under the new goal project.
Blatter, who will land at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 12:30pm, will also announce FIFA assistance for the soon-to-be-launched National Football Academy in Sylhet.
Blatter will inaugurate the artificial football turf installed at the BFF premises during his visit. The turf was donated by FIFA under the second goal project in October, 2008 but it took the Bangladesh Football Federation some time to lay the turf as the local residents stood as a stumbling block.
The BFF and the local residents settled the issue last year after FIFA threatened to drop Bangladesh from its future projects.
As the BFF managed to install the turf successfully it has now become eligible for the third goal project, which Blatter will
declare today.
The BFF officials, however, refused to disclose what the new project will be.
‘Yes, the president has something to announce for us but let us wait for his words,’ said BFF senior vice-president Abdus Salam Murshedi.
BFF president Kazi Salahuddin said Blatter’s visit will finally open the door for them to launch the academy that has remained stalled for some time due to a lack of funds. ‘The FIFA will provide us the money to launch and run the academy for one year and a half while they will give us technical support also,’ said Salahuddin. He also informed that a FIFA technical team will start scouting for football talent for the academy on April 1 while the academy will start functioning from June 1.
Blatter will also inaugurate a photo exhibition titled ‘Bangladesh Football in Images’, organised by the Bangladesh Sports Press Association as part of its Golden Jubilee celebration.
Blatter, who will give a press conference, will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina before attending an official dinner at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel.
He will leave for Bhutan at 9:30 pm the same day.
The FIFA president will be accompanied by Zhang Jilong, the acting president of Asian Football Confederation, Zhao Luo, the assistant to the AFC president and Manilal Fernando, the member of the FIFA executive committee.