A coach without compass derailing Bangladesh football’s rebirth
Near the main gate of the National Stadium on Thursday night, a small crowd had gathered; like the last refuge of a restless mob. A gentle breeze carried traces of football's familiar thrill, yet mingled within it were the sharp notes of anger and despair, after hosts Bangladesh fell 4-3 to Hong Kong, China in agonising fashion.
A few young men shouted in unison; someone shoved, another threw a punch, and someone else hid their tears in the dark. Stepping closer, it became clear that they were not enemies but friends united by the same flag. It was as if the team's failures on the pitch in a vital Asian Cup qualifying match had spilled into the gallery's alleyways.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. A little further ahead, a group of supporters stood before a TV camera, their voices hoarse from shouting, "Bhua (Fraud)! Bhua!"
Who were they shouting at? The answer didn't take long to find. Their anger was directed at Bangladesh's head coach, Javier Cabrera. Their chants echoed frustration, pain, and paralysis: "As long as this coach stays, we won't come to the stadium!"
But the question remains: will they really stay away? And if they do, will football once again sink into the abyss of despair?
To understand this frustration, one has to look back just a year -- to a time when Bangladesh football seemed to be standing tall again, like the lost glory of the 1990s reborn. The love for football was beginning to stir once more in people's hearts.
It all began on a Premier League pitch in England where Hamza Choudhury, born and raised abroad, chose to wear the red and green out of sheer love for his roots. For a moment, the whole nation stood still. A young man who had grown up on foreign turf declared, "I am Bangladesh."
Soon after, Canada-based midfielder Shamit Shome followed in his footsteps, and it felt as though football itself had begun to breathe again. Excitement swept through the younger generation -- from social media to tea stalls, from alleyways to living rooms, everyone was talking about it. People believed that perhaps the spirit of football, once the pride of thousands, was returning.
Then came the Asian Cup Qualifier against Singapore -- an evening on June 10 that felt like a festival. As soon as the gates opened, crowds poured in. Inside the stadium there were thousands, and outside, twice as many. Police and security personnel struggled to contain the surge, yet all that filled the air were chants of a single word: "Bangladesh!"
But football, as everyone learned that day, cannot be won on emotion alone. The final scoreline showed Bangladesh had lost -- and with that loss went trust, belief, and direction. Many supporters vented their anger at the referee, whose decisions were controversial, including a clear penalty not given.
Those who understood the game, however, saw the defeat differently. To them, Cabrera had turned the match into a strange experiment, with the players reduced to subjects of the Spaniard's tactical trial and error.
Yet it seemed Cabrera had learned little from that lesson. Against Hong Kong, China, he once again appeared intent on proving his critics wrong. The same name that had been linked with repeated failures -- Saad Uddin -- was once again fielded at left-back. From Nepal to Sri Lanka to Seychelles, dreams of victory had crumbled through his errors.
And yet, on the bench sat a young defender, Zayyan Ahmed, who had recently proven himself in the age-level sides. When he was finally brought on late in the match, the game changed. Trailing by two goals, Bangladesh fought back to level at 3-3. The stands came alive with renewed hope.
But then, once again, Saad stepped into that hope -- with another mistake, another misplaced pass, another heartbreak. He handed the ball to Raphael Merkies, who scored the winning goal and hattrick for Hong Kong. Silence fell over the stadium.
From the stands, a supporter whispered, "It wasn't Hong Kong who scored -- it was Cabrera."
In the earlier match against Singapore, Shamit had been the standout performer. Yet this time he was left on the bench, replaced by Sohel Rana -- who, apart from gifting the opposition a goal, contributed little else. In place of Fahemedul Islam came Faisal Fahim, whose story was no different -- he too gifted the first goal. Again and again, Cabrera's choices seemed part of a personal experiment gone wrong.
The most painful moment of all, however, came when Saad was nutmegged -- Everton slipped the ball through his legs to set up Merkies' second goal. Even after Shamit's strike brought Bangladesh level, Saad again lost possession to the same player.
And that was where the final nail was struck.
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