The poor performance of the Bangladesh national team against Nepal in their opening game of the 10th SAFF Championship on Saturday prompted many near the team to raise questions about the attitude of the footballers.
Most of the members of the national side have already confirmed their clubs for next season. If the players pick up any injuries during the regional football competition they may fear losing out on a lucrative contract.
An official inside the team opined that Bangladesh midfield duo Mamunul Islam and Sohel Rana are not giving their best to recover from their respective injuries.
After inspecting the two midfielders, team doctor Imran Ali said that they did not identify any reason why the duo couldn’t play any part in the tournament.
‘We tested some injured players several times with all kinds of medical tests but did not find anything serious, and we did not find any reason why they should still be feeling pain,’ Imran said on Monday.
‘We are providing them with special therapy on a regular basis to reduce their pain,’ he added.
One official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that some players who have already sealed contracts with their clubs are intentionally avoiding the risk of injury.
Coach Lodewijk de Kruif told National Teams Committee chairman Kazi Nabil Ahmed that he was not impressed with the performance of some top players, also mentioning that they did not give 100 percent effort against Nepal.
‘The coach was very disappointed to see some
effortless performances from some of his players. He did not mention the names of the players but asked his boys to give their best in the next match,’ Nabil said on Monday, a day after speaking with De Kruif.
‘I was surprised to see that some of the players did not tussle for the ball against the Nepalese players. I don’t know the reason,’ he added.
-With New Age input
