Expatriate footballer Jamal Bhuiyan proved his credentials as a dependable midfielder in the Bangladesh national team during the 10th SAFF Championship in Nepal.
Denmark-based Jamal spoke of his pride as he represented the red-and-green in the regional football tournament and expressed his optimism about the up-and-coming football stars of Bangladesh.
Jamal spoke with New Age’s Sudipta Ananda in an exclusive interview at his hotel room before leaving Kathmandu for Dhaka.
Question: How do you feel after representing the national team?
Jamal Bhuiyan: It makes me proud to play for Bangladesh. When I heard the national anthem I got goose bumps. I think playing for your country is one of the biggest things in life you can achieve as a football player.
Q: You had a long discussion with the coach [Lodewijk de Kruif] today. What was he talking about?
JB: We just talked about the game and the mistakes we made in the last three matches. It was not the coach’s fault because the players have to play the game and it’s the players who have to deliver.
Q: You had a relatively successful tournament compared to the other players in the team. Do you think the difference in performance boils down to preparation?
JB: I don’t know because it’s different for each player and how you prepare for each game. On the game day, I prepared myself good but I don’t know how the other players prepared themselves. I thought all the other players gave their best for the team but I cannot say you have to prepare like this or that.
Q: Do you think the coach overburdened the team with extra workload in the practice sessions in the last two months?
JB: No, because when we started our training camp most of the players were not fit and they could only play for 50 or 60 minutes. Actually, all the things that we did in practice turned out to be good.
Q: Would you cite the intense practice sessions as the reason behind the spate of injuries which crippled the team throughout the tournament?
JB: It’s not about the gruelling practice sessions, because everywhere in Europe they train two times a day. The first session was usually hard but normally in the second session we didn’t do much. We just ran a bit, so you cannot complain about that.
When you play for the national team you don’t think about what you have done in the last two months because you have to be prepared men
tally and you have to be hundred percent sure about your role.
Q: Who do you think are the flag-bearers for the national side in the future?
JB: There are a lot of young players, like [Omar Faruk] Babu, Sohel [Rana], Raihan [Hasan] and Toklis [Ahmed]. They are the young, upcoming stars in the team. Maybe in a few years they will become big stars and they will have the responsibility of leading Bangladesh, as Mamunul [Islam] and [Zahid Hasan] Ameli are getting older.
Q: How are you coping with the conditions in Bangladesh?
JB: Previously, when I used to play here in Thailand there was no problem. Now the weather is not the same. But I think Bangladesh is too hot.
Q: You played ninety minutes in the same rhythm while some other players could not quite maintain the tempo. How was it possible?
JB: You have to be mentally hundred percent strong. When you play for the national side, there is no place for pain. If you get a kick on your feet, you don’t say – ‘ah coach, take me out’, there is no time for that.
I don’t know about the other players and I don’t want to say bad things about the other players. But when I came on to play I wanted to do my best for the team.
Q: Did you talk with your parents after making your debut for the national side?
JB: I talk with my parents every day and my mother said that I was unlucky [to be knocked out in the first round]. And my father saw me when the national anthem was being played and said that I couldn’t sing it properly.
-With New Age input
