Sports Desk:

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has once again been fined after hosting an Asian Cup qualifier at home, following a delay in the restart of play during the Bangladesh–India match on 18 November.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) imposed a fine of USD 1,250 on BFF after the second half of the match began 1 minute and 43 seconds later than the scheduled time. The decision was taken by the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee on 17 December.

The match, held at the National Stadium, saw Bangladesh defeat India 1–0 in an Asian Cup qualifying fixture. Although the game was considered a formality in terms of qualification, the encounter generated significant excitement, as Bangladesh secured a rare victory over India after 22 years. The solitary goal came in the first half through Shekh Morsalin.

However, the second half could not begin on time as the match officials failed to take the field as scheduled, leading to the disciplinary action.

For the same offence, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) was also fined USD 1,000. Bangladesh received a higher fine as it was a repeat offence within a specified period. Earlier in June, BFF had been fined USD 1,250 after the second half of a home match against Singapore was delayed by two minutes.

According to Article 11.3 of the AFC Disciplinary Code, both federations are required to pay the fines within 30 days.

Bangladesh will play their final Asian Cup qualifying match against Singapore on 31 March. Singapore have already secured qualification for the Asian Cup with 11 points. Bangladesh, with five points, are currently placed third in Group C of the four-team group.