Bangladesh women’s football team coach Peter Butler sharply criticized the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) for poor preparation and internal mismanagement before the country’s first-ever appearance in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. Speaking at a press conference at the BFF headquarters on Thursday, hours before the team’s scheduled departure for Australia, the English coach questioned the football knowledge and professionalism of federation officials. Butler said the team’s planning had failed and accused some officials of spreading misinformation in the media.

He expressed frustration that the women’s team had not played any preparation matches since December, blaming the BFF for prioritizing domestic league fixtures over national team readiness. Proposed matches against the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand were disrupted due to scheduling conflicts. BFF women’s committee head Mahfuza Akter Kiron admitted that preparations could have been better and said more training or practice matches abroad would have improved readiness.

Bangladesh will face China, North Korea, and Uzbekistan in the group stage of the tournament in Australia, starting on March 3 in Sydney.