Bangladesh’s match against India in the Asian Cup qualifiers is on March 25. English Premier League footballer Hamza Chowdhury will arrive in Bangladesh to play in this match on March 17. Even though he arrived a week ago, there is no arrangement for any practice match during this period. As a result, Hamza will have to practice with the team and directly take the field against India on March 25.
The Bangladesh football team is currently camping in Taif, Saudi Arabia. They played against Saudi club Al Weedat there last night. The federation did not release the results of the game because it was behind closed doors. As in the past, Bangladesh’s Spanish coach Javier Cabrera made positive comments in a message to BFF, and also announced plans to play another match before returning to the country on March 17.
Former national team captain Zahid Hasan Emily believes that it was very necessary to play at least one match after Hamza’s arrival rather than playing a match in Saudi Arabia, “Our plan for the India match revolved around Hamza. As a result, a match was needed after Hamza’s arrival. This would have completed the team combination and plan. Hamza is undoubtedly a very big footballer. Even then, a match was definitely needed for him to adapt to the team and for others to adapt to him.”
Bangladesh, India, Singapore and Hong Kong are in the same group for the Asian Cup qualifiers. India will play Maldives in Shillong on March 19, six days before the match on March 25. Singapore will play against another South Asian country Nepal before playing against Hong Kong. Bangladesh is looking for an opponent in Saudi Arabia, that too two weeks before the match. The former striker blames BFF’s planning for this, saying, “The other two teams in the group, India and Singapore, have made a good plan. Maldives played against Bangladesh about three months ago. That’s why India chose Maldives to prepare against Bangladesh. On the other hand, two of the four teams in this group are from South Asia. Singapore is playing a friendly match with Nepal. Bangladesh is looking for an opponent to play the match in Saudi Arabia.”
In the FIFA window, clubs are forced to release players for the national team 72 hours before the match. Although the match is on March 25, Hamza and his club Sheffield United are both serious, so arrangements have been made to come to Bangladesh eight days before the match. Despite having so much time, BFF has not been able to hold any warm-up matches during this period. Despite having so much hope for Hamza, BFF’s plan for him is clearly lacking.
Bangladesh started the camp for the India match on February 28. They reached Taif, Saudi Arabia on March 5. From there, they will return to Dhaka on March 17. After practicing in Dhaka for two days, they will leave for Shillong, India with Hamza on March 20. The former star footballer of Bangladesh also saw a danger in organizing a conditioning camp in Saudi Arabia during the league, saying, “The footballers were in the league. Then again, there is a possibility that the players will get tired before the match due to this conditioning and hard practice (the coach commented that they practiced for an hour before the practice match yesterday). It would have been best if the league was kept going and Hamza came and practiced for a week before his arrival and arranged a match after his arrival. Now, the club is suffering financial losses due to the long-term closure of the league, and the federation is also spending money on team preparation abroad. After all this, it remains to be seen what the outcome of the India match will be.”
The lack of team selection and preparation plan of the Spanish coach of the national team, Javier Cabrera, was also questioned in the past. Even after a footballer like Hamza Chowdhury will play for Bangladesh, the coach’s plan is clearly flawed. Many former footballers and coaches are also looking at the responsibility of the national team committee here. While Zahid Hasan Emily has made strong official comments on a few issues, others involved in football are waiting until the India match on March 25. After the results of that match, they will speak out about the coach and the federation’s team management.
