The Pakistan national team’s first practice match against a Bangladesh Football Federation XI is in doubt due to the general strikes scheduled after Eid-ul-Fitr, a BFF official revealed on Tuesday.
Pakistan had been scheduled to play two practice matchesas a part of their preparation for the SAFF Football Championship, starting on September 1.
The first practice match was slated for August 13 with a second practice game against the Bangladesh national team lined up for August 16, but because Jamaat-e-Islami announced a 48-hour long strike on August 13-14, the first warm-up match between BFF XI and Pakistan might not be held.
‘We are in doubt regarding the first match between BFF XI and Pakistan on August 13 due to the strikes called by a political party,’ said Kazi Nabil Ahmed, chairman of the national teams committee.
‘However, we are hopeful that the next match between Bangladesh and Pakistan will take place on the scheduled date,’ he added.
Bangladesh and Pakistan are in the same group in the 10th SAFF Football Championship in Nepal.
Meanwhile, Germany-based Bangladesh midfielder Reasat Islam was all but ruled out from the national team and will return to Germany today.
National team’s Dutch coach Lodewijk de Kruif gave him some assignments after returning home from Thailand, where Reasat did not feature at all in two friendly matches against local opposition.
De Kruif instructed Reasat to come back to Dhaka after he completes the assignments.
‘Reasat will return to Germany [on Tuesday] and [De Kruif] informed me that he might come back if he completes some assignments,’ national team manager Iqbal Hossain said on Tuesday.
Denmark-based midfielder Jamal Bhuiyan left the national team camp on Monday to discuss the upcoming national assignments with his club, Hellerup Bold. Jamal could return to Dhaka on August 12 or 13.
Assistant coach Syed Golam Jilani remarked that among the four expatriate footballers – the other two being Australia-based Anando Rahman and USA-based Farhan Khan – only Jamal Bhuiyan impressed the Dutch coach with his tenacity.
‘The national team requires Jamal’s services because he proved himself with his resolve and he played well in the second practice match against the Thailand Under-19 national team during the Thailand tour,’ said the assistant coach.
Meanwhile, the national team footballers requested a two or three-day break from the camp for Eid, but the coach and national teams committee refused to grant it to them. The management is, however, mulling over giving the players Eid bonuses.
-With New Age input
