If everything had gone according to plan, members of Bangladesh football team would have been playing the SAFF Suzuki Cup final in Trivandrum on Sunday. Instead, some of them were found playing an unauthorised football match in Narayanganaj at the same day. A group of national players, including captain Mamunul Islam, played the match flouting the team rules that had barred them from participating any such match.
The players defied the rules at a time when they are scheduled to play another international tournament, the Bangabandhu Gold Cup, in less than a week.
Bangladesh are scheduled to face Sri Lanka in the Bangabandhu Cup opening match in Jessore on January 8.
The players, who played the Narayanganaj match, are captain Mamunul Islam, goalkeepers Shahidul Alam Sohel and Ashraful Islam Rana, defenders Yeasin Khan, Yeamin Ahmed Chowdhury Munna, Wali Faisal, Topu Barman, midfielders Sohel Rana, Hemanta Vincent Biswas, Mithun Chowdhury, strikers Zahid Hasan Ameli and Shakhwat Hossain Rony.
The match, which was the final of the District Commissioner Gold Cup, organised by Narayanganj District Sports Association, was held between Rupganj Upazilla and Narayanganj Sadar at the Narayanganj Municipality Osmani Stadium.
Six players participated for each of the finalists as Rupganj clinched the title thanks to a 4-2 margin in the penalty shoot-out.
Mamunul claimed that he was forced to play the game for Narayanganj sadar by Shamim Osman, the Member of Parliament for Narayanganj-4 constituency.
‘When a political figure like him requests us, we cannot say no,’ Mamunul told New Age. ‘I played only in his honour, not for money.’
Mamunul also claimed that they are now free players and they have all rights to play a game without taking consent from the game’s governing body.
‘What wrong have we done by playing? We are not bound by the BFF at this moment,’ he said. ‘We are supposed to report tomorrow [today]. Whatever we do before that period that should not be a headache for others,’
Mamunul said the match helped them to prepare for the forthcoming tournament though the surface of the district ground was very risky for the players.
‘I rather believe that this match will help us as we won’t need any more warm-ups,’ Mamunul claimed. ‘Everyone was in the midst of football and no injuries occurred. You could have written if anyone had got injured.’
National team coach Maruful could not be reached for comment.
Former national captain and newly appointed team manager Elias Hossain was astonished to the matter.
‘It’s really unfortunate,’ said the former player who has been appointed as the manager of the national team for the Bangabandhu Gold Cup.
‘No one sought my permission before playing the game. We will take necessary step soon.’
One of the players of the bunch that took part in the game was Hemanta Vincent, who received a suspended ban of six months for playing a similar match in September in his home town in Dinajpur.
Two veteran strikers Zahid Hasan Ameli and Mithun Chowdhury was also heavily penalised for playing a match in Manikganj while on national team duty before the 2014 World Cup pre-qualifying match against Lebanon.
-With New Age input
