Bangladesh national football team
The Bangladesh national football team () is the national recognised football team of Bangladesh and is controlled by the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF). It is a member of the Asian Football Confederation, and became a member of FIFA in 1974. Even though the Bangladesh Football Federation was first founded in 1972. Bangladesh was elected as a member of the AFC Executive Committee in 1982–1986 and 1998–2002. The current Executive Committee was elected democratically, under an AFC approved constitution and direct supervision of FIFA & AFC, in April 2008. Bangladesh's national team debuted in 1973 and has yet  to qualify for the World Cup finals. They were dismissed in the first round of their only Asian Cup appearance to date in 1980; by qualifying for it, Bangladesh is one of the only two South Asian nations to achieve the feat. The nation's best results came at South Asian level where it won the SAFF Championship in 2003, under the coaching of György Kottán and were gold medalists in South Asian Games once as a national team. Bangladesh was one of southern Asia's leading team in the 1980s and early 2000s. However, since the turn of the  century, top-level football in Bangladesh is played somewhere in the shadow of the country's national cricket team. This is mostly due to inadequate budget allocation and lack of technical skills adaptation. To date, football remains a popular sport in Bangladesh but cricket remains the most popular sport in the nation. History. Origins (1933–1971). During the early 1930s, there were many tournaments being held in East Bengal and it was seen that the Bengalis there were getting a little better at football. So in 1933, Dhaka Sporting Association, known as the DSA, was formed in a small tin house  at Paltan Maidan in Dhaka. Meanwhile, the three largest clubs in Dhaka at that time, Wari Club, Victoria SC and Lakshibazar Club, were already playing daily matches, at the Paltan Maidan. The clubs divided the field into three parts and the DSA introduced inter-school and inter-college tournaments after its inception and the current GPO in Gulistan was then the designated ground for the tournaments. In those days, Islington Corinthians from England toured all around the world, and introduced their football to every country they visited. On 10 November 1936, the team visited Dhaka, where they took on the  DSA XI. The Bengalis of Dhaka handed Corinthians their first ever loss, when the DSA XI defeated Corinthians 1-0 during their encounter. Most of the players were students of Dhaka University. Thousands of people were overjoyed to see the English lose on the field that day. While leaving, the opposition admitted to their defeat, saying, “I heard a lot about the Bengal tiger! This time I saw it!” The first instance of a Bangladesh national football team was the emergence of the Shadhin Bangla Football Team during the 1971 Liberation War. They toured throughout India to raise international awareness  and economic support for the liberation war, the team played 16 exhibition matches in different states and cities of India and helped fund the Bangladesh government by handing over all the prize money they earned during their tour. Emergence (1972–1984). Following the nations independence from Pakistan, at the end of 1971, the Bangladesh Football Federation, was founded on 15 July 1972, by Md. Yousuf Ali, the country's former Minister for Education and Cultural Affairs. The BFF became affiliated with the AFC in 1973, and FIFA in 1976. The newly formed federation named Sheikh Saheb Ali as the country's  first head coach, and Zakaria Pintoo who also lead the Shadhin Football Bangla Team before liberation, as the captain. On 26 July 1973, the Bangladesh football team played its first official game, a 2–2 draw against Thailand, during the 1973 Merdeka Cup. Enayetur Rahman scored the country's first ever international goal and the second goal was scored by fellow striker Kazi Salahuddin. After the stalemate, the game went to penalties, where Bangladesh lost 2–1. During the period between 27 July 1973 and 14 August 1975, the team played a total of 15 friendly matches, all of them were against  Asian teams, 14 of the games were hosted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, resulting in 3 draws, 10 defeats and 1 victory. On 13 August 1973, during the only friendly match which was not held in Malaysia, the Bangladesh team earned their first ever win by defeating hosts Singapore 1–0, thanks to a goal from Kazi Salahuddin. A year later, on 18 December 1976, the team played a friendly against a strong Malaysian side, and ended up being trashed 6–0. The next official matches came during the 1978 Asian games in Bangkok, Bangladesh once again faced Malaysia and also had their  first encounter against India, both games ended in a defeat. In January 1979, the qualifiers for the 1980 AFC Asian Cup began and surprisingly considering their previous record, Bangladesh opened their campaign with draws against Afghanistan and Qatar. However, a harsh 1–3 defeat at the hands of Qatar followed, in spite of that, the team recovered with only their second ever victory, defeating the Afghans 3–2, and qualifying for the main tournament on their first attempt. In preparation for the Asian Cup, Bangladesh played four more friendly matches, losing three of them and suffering their heaviest ever defeat, when they  lost 9–0 to South Korea. They did however, manage to win one of their games, dismantling Sri Lanka 3–1. 1980 AFC Asian Cup Group A. The 1980 AFC Asian Cup was held in September 1980 in Kuwait, and Bangladesh were grouped with defending champions Iran as well as North Korea, Syria and China. The team coached by Abdur Rahim, opened the tournament respectably with a narrow 3–2 defeat against North Korea. Their goals came from Kazi Salahuddin and Ashraf Chunnu. They also held on well against Syria, only to lose by one goal. However, the next couple of games saw  Bangladesh being embarrassed 7–0 and 6–0 respectively, by Iran and China, finishing the tournament bottom of their table with a total of 17 goals being conceded. Despite of all their early success, the team would not be able to repeat their past heroics, as they failed to qualify for the 1984 AFC Asian Cup. Rise and Fall (1985–2002). In 1985, on their first attempt to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, the team took part in the 1986 World Cup qualifiers, and were grouped along with India, Indonesia and Thailand. Bangladesh got their first ever win in a World Cup  qualifier against Indonesia. The game took place at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka, furthermore Bangladesh were trailing at the end of the first-half, defender Kaiser Hamid had to make good use of his height to find the equalizer, and with the game reaching its end, Ashrafuddin Chunnu scored the winner from a free kick just outside the box. The country's second win in the qualifiers came over a strong Thailand side. Bangladesh also displayed an impressive performance against India at the Salt Lake Stadium, losing 2–1 during the last match of their qualification campaign. With two wins  from six games, Bangladesh finished bottom of their group. Nonetheless, it was a highly satisfactory debut in the World Cup qualifiers for the country. During their second attempt at qualifying in 1990, the team only managed to register a single victory, which came in a 3–1 thrashing of Thailand. Despite the solitary victory during the qualifiers, the Bangladesh team managed to go toe-to-toe against Asian giants Iran and China during both legs. On 4 November 1995, under the guidance of their legendary captain Monem Munna, Bangladesh won the 4-nation Tiger Trophy held in Myanmar, which was the  nations very first major trophy. Although Bangladesh lost 4–1 to the hosts in the opening match, coach Otto Pfister's tactical tweaks in the following games helped the nation reach its first the final, and defeat Myanmar 2–1. Bangladesh also won silver during the 1995 South Asian Games, losing in the final to hosts India. The year 1996 saw Bangladesh reach 110 in FIFA World Rankings, after numerous impressive performances. Despite a disappointing 1998 World Cup qualification campaign, the country's fortunes in regional competitions kept on improving, as the 1999 SAFF Gold Cup saw Bangladesh reach the final, only  to be defeated by hosts India again. Eventually, during the 1999 South Asian Games in Kathmandu, Bangladesh took the extra step and won gold. On 12 January 2001, a historic moment occurred for the Bangladesh team, as they played their first match against a European nation, when they took on Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Sahara Cup and lost 2–0. On 18 March 2001, Firoz Mahmud Titu became the first Bangladeshi player to score against European opposition, as Bangladesh suffered a 4–1 defeat at the hands of Yugoslavia during the same competition. However, Bangladesh yet again failed to qualify for  the World Cup, as the team got knocked out from the first Round of 2002 World Cup qualifiers with only 1 win from 4 games. SAFF Gold Cup triumph (2003). The 2003 SAFF Championship which took place between 10 January 2003 and 20 January 2003, saw Bangladesh under György Kottán, win their first major tournament in eight years and this time they did it as the host country. Bangladesh started off the tournament by winning their opening game against Nepal (1-0), with Alfaz Ahmed scoring the only goal, 30 minutes into the match. In their next game against Maldives  they again won by a solitary goal, thanks to Arif Khan Joy's late strike. Bangladesh topped their group after winning their last game against Bhutan 3–0, with Farhad scoring a brace, and Kanchan getting their third. In the semifinals they faced India, who were the defending champions, after defeating Bangladesh in 1999 SAFF Cup final. Bangladesh avenged their defeat from four years earlier by overcoming India 2–1, owing to an extra time goal by Motiur Munna and thus progressing to their second consecutive SAFF Cup final. However, before the finals Bangladesh dealt a huge blow, as their captain Rajani  Kanta Barman who played in every game during the tournament until then, picked up a suspension which denied him a chance to play in the next match. In the final Bangladesh again faced Maldives, Hassan Al-Mamun replaced Rajani in defense and took up the captain's armband before the game. Rokonuzzaman Kanchan gave the hosts the early lead and Bangladesh spent the rest of the first half dominating possession. During the second half a defensive mistake by Bangladesh lead to Ali Umar scoring the equalizer. The game remained tied at 1–1 after 90 minutes and even after another 30  minutes of extra time the two sides could not be separated. In the penalty shootout the goalkeeper Aminul Haque saved the second penalty from Maldives and at last Mohammed Sujan held his nerves and scored the winning penalty, as Bangladesh secured their first and only SAFF title to date. Inconsistency (2003–2010). The 2004 AFC Cup qualifiers, began from March 2003. It was another catastrophic qualifying campaign for Bangladesh, as they were defeated by Laos and tied against Hong Kong, which ended the country's AFC Cup qualification hopes once again. The team showed signs of improvement, as they again made  it to the final of the SAFF Championship, in 2005, only to be defeated by India in the finals again. From December 2005, Bangladesh began their 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification campaign, winning only a single game in the process, before once again failing to reach the main phase of the competition. The 2008 SAFF Cup also ended in huge disappointment, as Bangladesh were knocked out of the tournament during the group-stages, even after the BFF introduced the Bangladesh Premier League the previous year to improve the country's football. Their underwhelming SAFF campaign resulted in the dismissal of  coach of Abu Yusuf. He was replaced by former national team player Shafiqul Islam Manik, who only lasted at the job for another three months. On 24 January 2009, Bangladesh appointed Brazilian coach Dido. Under his guidance Bangladesh saw an upturn in results as they won two of their three 2010 AFC Challenge Cup qualification matches and advanced into the main tournament. However, he was sacked within 11 months as he refused to select established national team players. During his last interview before leaving Bangladesh, Dido criticized the country's footballing structure and stated that it was corrupt. This again  raised questions about BFF president Kazi Salahuddins management of the country's football. The 2009 SAFF Championship saw Bangladesh once again hosting the tournament. Former national team keeper Shahidur Rahman Shantoo was appointed as the intern coach just a few days before the tournament. Bangladesh cruised through the group stages with 2 wins and 1 draw. Nonetheless, they were not able to reach the final, as they were defeated by a young but energetic Indian team. Decline (2011–present). On 29 June 2011 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh beat Pakistan 3–0 on aggregate, during the 2014 FIFA  World Cup qualifiers, the game took place only four days after Nikola Ilievski was appointed as the team's head coach. This allowed Bangladesh to advance to the second round to face Lebanon. The first game was played in Beirut on 23 July 2011 where Bangladesh lost 4–0. The second game was played in Dhaka, where Bangladesh astonishingly won 2–0. However, since Lebanon were able to score more goals out of the two games they progressed into the third round eliminating Bangladesh. Bangladesh were not able to reach the semifinals of 2011 SAFF Championship as they failed to win a  single game during the group stages. On 29 January 2013, Lodewijk de Kruif took charge of the team, under him Bangladesh failed to qualify for the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup as they lost to Palestine by 0–1, despite their victories against the host Nepal and Northern Mariana Islands throughout the qualifiers held in March 2013. Bangladesh played their first four games of the FIFA 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Australia and Jordan losing all of the matches apart from the home game against Tajikistan where they drew 1–1. These results lead to De Kruif being sacked, On 8  September 2015. On 24 March 2016, Bangladesh ended their FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifying campaign with a disastrous performance, as they suffered a huge 8–0 defeat to a Jordan team managed by Harry Redknapp. With seven defeats and a solitary draw against Tajikistan, Bangladesh conceded 32 goals and scored only twice, once apiece against Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. On 29 June 2016, the BFF appointed Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet, initially on a short-term contract to guide the national team to the AFC Asia Cup 2019 qualification playoff round 2 matches against Bhutan. Coach Saintfiet called up the veteran striking pair  of Jahid Hasan Ameli and Enamul Haque for the match, but to no avail. Following a 0–0 draw in the first leg in Dhaka, Bhutan inflicted a 3–1 defeat on Bangladesh at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu during the second leg. The result meant Bangladesh would not be a part of any AFC and FIFA tournaments for the next couple of years, until the launching of the 2022 World Cup and the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers. By February 2018, Bangladesh plummeted to 197 in the FIFA World Rankings, the country's lowest ranking to date. On 17 May 2018, Jamie  Day took charge of the team. The team failed to reach the semi-finals of 2018 SAFF Championship, as the hosts, with 2 wins and 1 loss. However, Bangladesh advanced to the second round of 2022 World Cup qualifying when they defeated Laos 1–0 on aggregate. During the qualifiers, Bangladesh was grouped together with neighbors India, alongside Asian powerhouse Qatar and two other difficult rivals, Afghanistan and Oman. The team managed to earn a well deserved draw against India 1–1, where they conceded in the dying minutes of the game. Nonetheless, they lost the remaining matches, but their losses were  not as heavy as expected; they even caused hardship to Qatar and Oman. A toilsome draw against Afghanistan, saw Bangladesh reach the third Round of 2023 AFC qualifiers, as one of the three best fifth-positioned teams. In September 2021, after five consecutive defeats, Day was sacked, just before the 2021 SAFF Championship got underway. However, interim coach Óscar Bruzón, was not able to change the country's fate, as Bangladesh yet again failed to reach the finals. Javier Cabrera (2022–). On 8 January 2022, the BFF appointed Javier Cabrera as the permanent head coach of Bangladesh, on an 11 -month contract. Team image. Media coverage. Bangladesh's home and away qualifiers and friendlies both home and away are broadcast live on Bangladesh Television, Bangla TV & T Sports (Bangladesh). Colours. The Bangladesh national football team plays in bottle green shirts and dark red shorts embedded. Also with red and green stripes. Green and red are the historic national colours of Bangladesh, originating from the national flag of Bangladesh. The red represents the sun rising over Bengal, and also the blood of those who died for the independence of Bangladesh. The green stands for the lushness of the land of Bangladesh . The current Bangladesh away jersey is completely diametric to the regular one. Bangladesh Red & Green. The President's Gold Cup which was predominantly held every year from 1981 to 1993, saw the Bangladesh Football Federation enter two teams for Bangladesh; Bangladesh Blue and White in 1987 tournament and Bangladesh Red and Green during the 1989. This was due to the fact, that during the 80s many players were not able to get into the national team even after performing well in the country's Dhaka League, leading the federation to launch two separate teams, one with regular senior international players  and the other with "second string" international players. Having a two separate teams was very common during the 80s and 90s for developing South Asian country's, both Nepal and Pakistan had second string team's. Most international countries taking part in the President's Gold Cup would not send their main national team, instead the tournament would be used as a platform to play their B team's. The 1989 President's Gold Cup tournament saw the Bangladesh Red team win the tournament. The hosts guided by goalkeeper Sayeed Hassan Kanan, defeated South Korea University football team in penalties  to lift the trophy, while the Green team were knocked out in the group stages. The Green team was seen as the B, and consisted of U-21 team, while the Red team was made out of senior international's, and was known to be the main national team. While during the 1987 edition of the tournament. Bangladesh White team and Blue team took part. The White team mainly consisted players from Mohammedan SC, while the Blue team was made of players from rival club Abahani Limited. Home stadium. Bangladesh plays majority of their home matches at the Bangabandhu National Stadium , Dhaka, where they won the 2003 SAFF Cup and 2010 South Asian Games. Initially constructed in 1954, the BFF had been given full authority to operate the stadium in 2004, and since then most home games have been played there. The stadium also hosted the SAFF Cup during the 2009 and 2018 edition. Before renovation in 2011, it had a capacity close to 55,000, but with a new capacity of 36,000 it is still the largest stadium in Bangladesh. Ever since the inception of the Bangladesh Premier League, in 2007, the stadium has been used has been used to host  majority of the league games. After the end of the 2020–2021 league season, the Bangabandhu Stadium, again underwent renovation, which is supposed to last till the end of 2022. The new refurbishments will see addition of chairs in galleries and installation of LED giant screens. The renovation is part of Bangladesh Football Federation's plan of giving the nation a modernized stadium more suited for football. Occasionally home matches are also played at MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong, Sylhet District Stadium in Sylhet, Rajshahi District Stadium in Rajshahi and Shamsul Huda Stadium in Jessore. Results and fixtures. "Matches in the  last 12 months, and future scheduled matches" Players. Current squad. The following players were called up for friendly matches against Maldives and Mongolia on 24 and 29 March 2022. "Caps and goals are correct as of 29 March 2022, after the game against ." !| !| !| Recent call-ups. The following players have also been called up to the Bangladesh squad within the last twelve months.