The Bangladesh national football team is leaving for Kathmandu this afternoon (Wednesday) to play two FIFA friendly matches. Holding a press conference before a foreign tour is an unwritten tradition of the country’s football. Under the influence of coach Javier Cabrera, the BFF is walking a new path. The national team is leaving the country without holding a formal press conference. According to federation sources, as per the coach’s wishes and plans, there was no formal press conference like the closed-door practice.
Even when the national team, U-15 SAFF or age-based invitational tournaments are played, there is an official press conference at the BFF building. The federation has not organized any official press conference there recently for the AFC U-23 tournament qualifiers or the FIFA friendly match in Nepal. Last Monday, before the national football team started practice, the coach and Tapu spoke to the media for a few minutes. That too, standing a few feet apart like during the Corona period. The journalists were on the other side of the grill and the coach and players were on the athletics track.
After the team was finalized, a press conference was held on the day of departure or the day before. In that conference, questions were mainly raised about the team selection, style of play and goals. Cabrera did not give that opportunity before the Nepal tour. The final team was posted on the BFF’s Facebook page around 11 am. The announcement of the national team is an important matter. Although it is necessary to inform the media in advance, the BFF has given priority to the Facebook page. The national team was also announced on Facebook before leaving the country, the federation announced the U-23 team a day after arriving in Bahrain.
BFF officials often request the media to keep the sponsoring organization in the spotlight. However, the federation itself does not allow for publicity. There are no closed-door practices, no formal press conferences. So where is the opportunity for the sponsoring organization to get publicity in the national team!
Bangladesh squad:
Goalkeepers: Sujan Hossain, Mitul Marma, Pappu Hossain
Defenders: Mehedi Hasan, Rahmat Mia, Tapu Barman, Taj Uddin, Abdullah Omar, Tariq Kazi, Isa Faisal, Saad Uddin
Midfielders: Mohammad Hridoy, Jamal Bhuiyan, Papon Singh, Sohel Rana (Senior), Sohel Rana, Shah Kazem
Forwarders: Arif Hossain, Shahriar Emon, Rakib Hossain, Faisal Ahmed, Mohammad Ibrahim, Sumon Reza