The Bangladesh Football Federation on Thursday lifted the suspensions of former national team captain Mamunul Islam and midfielder Sohel Rana after both the players apologised for their misdeeds. The BFF took the decision at an emergency meeting of its national team committee on Thursday. The game’s governing body in March imposed a one-year ban on Mamunul and winger Zahid Hossain while Sohel and defender Yeasin Khan were handed six-month ban for breaching disciplines.
The newly-elected executive committee, however, decided to reconsider their punishment considering the national team’s forthcoming campaign of Asian Cup play-off qualifiers.
Mamunul and Sohel both had apologised to the BFF through separate letters on May 7.
‘Both the players regretted their behaviour and pleaded for the withdrawal of their punishment,’ BFF senior vice-president Abdus Salam Murshedy told reporters after the meeting.
‘So we decided to lift their bans. Now they are eligible to play for the national team. Our national team didn’t perform well in the last three tournaments and we have huge lack of quality players so that we took the decision.’
Mamunul thanked BFF for reconsidering the ban.
‘It’s a big relief. For the last two months I couldn’t live normally. Now, I can breathe with peace. I am waiting to get back into the national team.’
-With New Age input
