Jafar Iqbal and Mohammad Abdullah Parvej, two youngsters, who were plying their trade in the third division football league a year ago, may fulfill their wildest of dreams of featuring in the Bangladesh national team in a month’s time. Both the players, who played a pivotal role in Arambagh Krira Sangha’s fairytale run in this season’s Federation Cup, earned their spot in the preliminary squad for the national football team’s Asian Cup qualifying play-offs against Bhutan.
National’s team’s new Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet called the duo to his training camp after he was impressed with some of their scintillating performances in the Federation Cup, in which Arambagh finished as runners-up by defying all the odds.
The 18-year-old Jafar Iqbal started his playing career in Bandarban before he joined Feni Soccer Club’s Under-18 team in 2015. Later, he took part in a trial organised by the Bangladesh Football Federation, where he caught the attention of the academy coach Syed Golam Jilani ,who sent the winger to the third division outfit — Dilkusha Sporting Club.
Jafar helped Dilkusha to lift the third division title last year by scoring nine goals from 11 matches and as a result was called up by Arambagh this year.
Though he missed the season’s curtain raiser, the Independence Cup, for his HSC examination, Jafar put some brilliant performance and scored a fine goal against Team BJMC in the Federation Cup semi-final which impressed Saintfiet.
‘I never thought that I could get a call up in the preliminary squad of the national team,’ said Jafar on Friday.
‘Now I want to learn from the senior players as well as from the coach and will also try my best to secure a place in the final squad for the Bhutan matches.’
Iqbal admired his club coaches and club officials including head coach Saiful Bari Titu, and two assistant coaches Nizam Mazumder and Milon Mollah for their help.
‘I have learnt a lot of things from my coaches Titu, Nizam and Milon sir and the team officials who always inspire me to do something good in the training.’
On the other hand, Abdullah, a 19-year-old midfielder from Sirajganj was a product of the BFF Football academy.
He spent eight months under the development coaches as he was picked up by the academy for his brilliant performance for Gazipur City Football Academy in the Pioneer League in 2013.
Abdullah, then, joined Dilkusha Sporting Club in the third division football league before he was picked up by Arambagh.
‘It’s really a surprising call for me,’ said Abdullah.
He said that the Belgian coach is helping him a lot that would help him to become a better player.
‘Coach [Saintfiet] rectified my mistakes in the training and told us to work harder than the senior players because we are very young players,’ he said.
‘I will try my best to secure the final call up and for that and I will have to work hard because to get the final call I have to compete with some established players like — Mamunul bhai, Emon Babu bhai, Shahed Bhai, Zahid Bhai.’
The 32-member preliminary squad is preparing for the Asian Cup Qualifying play-offs against Bhutan under the guidance of Saintfiet, scheduled on September 6 and October 11 respectively in Dhaka and Thimpu.
-With New Age input
