Letter to FIFA regarding Bangladesh Football Federation’s plan to build a training facility on protected forest land in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has recently announced its plans to establish a new residential training facility in the Ramu upazila of Cox’s Bazar District, in South-East Bangladesh on 20 acres of hilly forest land. It has been reported that FIFA is providing funding for this project with at least 3.6 million USD being invested. The 20 acre plot of land was designated as “reserve forest” by the Government of Bangladesh under The Forest Act, 1927 and also as a “Ecologically Critical Area” (ECA) where any sort of man-made intervention remains strictly prohibited. This forest is rich and unique in biodiversity and constitutes the natural habitat for the endangered Asian Elephant. We hope FIFA will do its best to persuade BFF to find an alternative site for its training centre and that FIFA will take a proactive role in the environmental oversight of the projects of its member associations.
Regards,
Md Ajmain Adil Nakib
Contact: 01623607943
Eleven green organisations and prominent citizens held a news conference at National Press Club on 20 July, 2022 to protest the decision of allotment of part of Khuniya Palong reserve forestland to Bangladesh Football Federation for construction of a residential training facility.
