The South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship is set to begin at the National Stadium in Dhaka from November 5. In the opening match-also the tournament’s inaugural game.
Hosts Bangladesh will face Bhutan. Key players Hamza Choudhury and Farhaan Ali Wahid will be unavailable for this match.
It was already certain that Hamza would miss the opening game and on Sunday, Bangladesh national football team Head Coach Thomas Dooley clarified the situation regarding Farhaan as well.
He said, “Hamza and Farhaan will arrive on the 9th November, which means they won’t be able to play in the first match. The SAFF Championship will start on November 5.”
While Hamza will not be arriving in time, players like Shamit Shome and Ronan Sullivan are expected to join as scheduled time. Bangladesh national football team Manager Amirul Islam Babu said, “Twenty two players have joined our camp today. Sohel Rana is on his way.
Ronan Sullivan will arrive in the first week of November, while Shamit Shome, Zayyan Ahmed and Fahamedul Islam are expected to arrive earlier. Mahe Khan has already joined the squad.”
The preliminary squad for the SAFF Championship consists of 28 players. Although the tournament begins on November 5, the deadline for submitting the 28-man roster was October 18.