The 2009

South Asian Football Federation Championship The South Asian Football Federation Championship, commonly known as SAFF Championship (previously known as ''South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation Gold Cup'' and ''South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup''), is the main international ...

was hosted by Bangladesh from 4 to 13 December 2009. Bangladesh was awarded to host the tournament after the withdrawal of original hosts India. After India's reluctance to host the tournament, in May 2009, at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,

Bangladesh Football Federation Bangladesh Football Federation (, ''Bānlādēśa phuṭabala phēḍārēśana'') is the governing body that administrates the sport of association football in Bangladesh. It is in charge of running the country's men's and women's national tea ...

(BFF) president Kazi Salahuddin on his return from the AFC Congress informed that although India were still retaining their status as hosts of the championship, Bangladesh and Nepal had turned in fresh bids in anticipation of staging this prestigious eight-nation meet. A decision was taken at the FIFA Congress in Bahamas in the first week of June but no announcement was officially made. In July, with the tournament drawing ever closer, media reports once again suggested that the tournament would be moved once again to Bangladesh, as Pakistan would struggle to obtain visas if the tournament is hosted in India. On 31 August 2009, it was reported that the tournament would be held in Bangladesh, after the Indian football association (AIFF) had its annual congress at the end of August. This was formally confirmed by the AFC on 10 September through a press release.

Venue

The

Bangabandhu National Stadium Bangabandhu National Stadium ( bn, বঙ্গবন্ধু জাতীয় স্টেডিয়াম, ''romanised: Bongobondhu jateeyo stediyaam''), also known as Dhaka Stadium, and formerly known as Dacca Stadium, is the national s ...

in Dhaka was the only venue for the tournament. It is also home venue for

Bangladesh national football team The Bangladesh national football team ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয় ফুটবল দল) is the national recognised football team of Bangladesh and is controlled by the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF). It is a membe ...

Squads

Draw

The draw for the tournament was made on 3 October 2009. India took part with their U-23 teamhttp://www.indianfootball.com/en/news/articleId/1916

Group stage

Group A

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Group B

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Knockout stage

Semi-finals

Final

Champion

Goalscorers

;4 goals *

Enamul Haque Inam-ul-Haq ( ar, إنعام الحـــق ), meaning ''Gift of the Truth'', is a masculine Islamic given name.). Notable bearers of the name include; Cricketers *Inam-ul-Haq (Lahore cricketer) (born 1943), Pakistani cricketer * Enamul Haque ( ...

Ahmed Thariq Ahmed Thoriq (born 4 October 1980) is a Maldivian retired professional footballer, nicknamed "Tom". Biography He is from the island of Mahibadhoo in Alif Dhaal Atoll. International career His first competitive international tournament was the ...

* Channa Ediri Bandalage ;3 goals *

Ali Ashfaq Ali Ashfaq (; born 6 September 1985) is a Maldivian professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Maldives national team. Nicknamed "Man of Steel" (), he is regarded as one of the best players in the South Asian region. A proli ...

Ibrahim Fazeel Ibrahim Fazeel (born 9 October 1980) is a Maldivian footballer nicknamed "Oppo", who can play both as a midfielder and as a forward currently who plays for Llangefni Town FC He started his career while he was a student in Majeedhiyaa School in 1 ...

* Arif Mehmood * Kasun Jayasuriya ;2 goals *

Sushil Kumar Singh Chongtham Sushil Kumar Singh is an India football player. He is currently playing for NEROCA F.C. in Manipur's local statewide league. Career Mahindra United Singh started his footballing career at Mahindra United in the I-League and scored ...

* Anil Gurung * Muhammad Essa * Chathura Gunarathne ;1 goal * Hashmatullah Barakzai * Jahid Hasan Ameli * Prantosh Kumar Das * Nawang Dendup *

Jeje Lalpekhlua Jeje Lalpekhlua Fanai (born 7 January 1991) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a striker, and last appeared with Indian Super League club East Bengal. Between 2011 and 2019, he scored 23 goals in 56 international matches repres ...

* Assad Ali * Bijaya Gurung * Ju Manu Rai *

Reis Ashraf Reis Ashraf (born 18 September 1989) is a former footballer who played as a forward. Born in England, he played for the Pakistan national team. Club career Ashraf was a junior at Newport Pagnell Town before joining Coventry City in 2002. He ...

* Shabir Khan

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saff

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

2009 in Asian football

2009–10 in Sri Lankan football 2009 in Maldivian football 2009–10 in Pakistani football 2009 in Nepalese sport 2009 in Bhutanese football 2009 in Bangladeshi football 2009 in Afghan football 2009–10 in Indian football