Bangladesh to begin SAFF campaign without Hamza

photo: collected

Bangladesh will be without Hamza Choudhury and most of their expatriate footballers for their opening match of the SAFF Championship, with the tournament set to begin in less than a month.

Hamza Choudhury, who plays for Sheffield United in the English Championship, has matches scheduled through November 7. Meanwhile, Bangladesh are set to face Bhutan in their opening SAFF Championship match on November 5.

Several other expatriate players are also facing scheduling conflicts, forcing Bangladesh to field a different combination in their opening game.

The national team committee met at Fortis Downtown in the capital on Monday to discuss preparations for the tournament.

Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) President Tabith Awal said the team would not have its full squad available for the opening match.

“We will not have our full squad for the opening match of the SAFF Championship. We expect to get 90 percent of our expatriate players after November 9. We may have a different team after the first match. The camp will begin on October 25,” he said.

The BFF also plans to arrange a preparatory friendly ahead of the tournament. Tabith said the federation would explore the possibility of bringing a foreign team to Bangladesh to play outside the official international window.

“We will try to see whether a team from abroad is willing to come and play outside the official window. We need to arrange a friendly match. We will also talk to some clubs,” he said.

Addressing concerns over the poor condition of domestic league pitches and the risk of injuries to players ahead of the SAFF Championship, the BFF president said the federation was taking the matter seriously.

Bangladesh suffered a disastrous campaign in the recently concluded ASEAN Cup, conceding nine goals against Indonesia. As a result, head coach Thomas Dooley has come under heavy criticism.

However, Tabith said changes involving players and coaching staff were a normal part of football, adding that no final decision had been made.

“Changes involving players and coaching staff are a normal process in world football. However, that does not mean we have made any final decision at this stage. We remain open to taking any decision at any time in the interest of the team,” he said.

He added that every department had been held accountable for the ASEAN Cup performance, including himself, as he was also accountable to the committee. The federation has also decided to introduce measures to ensure greater accountability among players.

Meanwhile, the BFF plans to organise two camps and tournaments annually in England for expatriate footballers aged 14 to 17 to expand the pool of players eligible to represent Bangladesh.

“We want to organise two camps and tournaments in England for players aged 14 to 17. Alongside England, we will also undertake similar initiatives in other European countries to scout players,” Tabith said.