Bangladesh national football team was left heavily demoralised after their 0-5 mauling to Maldives in an international friendly in Male on Thursday night.
The defeat came just four days before the country’s Asian Cup Qualifying play-offs first-leg match against Bhutan in Dhaka on September 6.Newly appointed Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet termed it as the ‘worst-ever’ defeat in his 20-year long coaching career.
‘I never lost any game by 0-5 margin in my 20-year long coaching career,’ Saintfiet told reporters after the match.
‘It was one of the most disgraceful days in my long career. The first half was okay but after conceding the first goal in the 55th minute our young players got scared and the home side took that advantage.’
Maldives forward Asadullah opened the floodgate in 53rd minute and later struck two more goals to complete a hat-trick as Bangladesh conceded their worst ever defeat to tiny neighbours.
The defeat also raised quite a few eyebrows as Bangladesh never looked so hapless against a South Asian rivals.
George Kottan, who guided Bangladesh to 2003 SAFF Championship title, thinks that the country’s football took a downslide over the past 12 years.
‘There are no signs of improvement in Bangladesh football in the last 12 years,’ said the Austrian, who is currently in charge of the Bangladesh Premier League outfit Abahani Limited.
‘Other teams of the Southeast Asian region developed a lot and Bangladesh are now facing the reality.’
Former national team coach Hasanuzzaman Khan Bablu said it was a painful result for Bangladesh team.
‘Just a few months ago, Bangladesh won the bronze medal in the South Asian Games after beating this Maldives side,’ said Bablu, who was the team leader in India.
‘After the shameful defeat to Maldives, I’m really in doubt over the Bhutan match, because like the other teams, Bhutan have also developed their game in the recent years.’
Bablu said Bhutanese club FC Tertons, comprised of nine national team players, have already proved their improvement in the just-concluded AFC Cup play-offs qualifiers by beating Sheikh Russell Krira Chakra.
‘I think as a team, Russell are stronger than the current Bangladesh national team because they [Russell] played with some foreign players and were defeated.
‘National team has to face Bhutan without any foreign players, so I’m really scared over the future of national team.
‘I also don’t see any commitment in the current footballers. They only think about money, not about pride. It is fully unprofessional attitude.’
Alfaz Ahmed, one of the best forwards that the country has ever produced, was also embarrassed with the current Maldives result.
‘I don’t know the state of mind of current players, whether they feel ashamed or not but as a former player, I’m really feeling sad’, said Alfaz.
‘When people ask me over the result of the national team I feel ashamed.’
Alfaz requested the football federation not to expect too much from these players.
‘These players have nothing more to give to the national team so I request the BFF not to ask more from them,’ he said.
‘We beat Maldives twice to win the SAFF Championship title in 2003 but now we lose against them repeatedly by big margins, which is really disgraceful.’
-With New Age input
