Coach Dooley submits 28-man squad to SAFF, no room for new faces from outside

Bangladesh national football team head coach Thomas Dooley has submitted a 28-member squad for the SAFF Championship, which begins on November 5. On Sunday (October 18), the final day of the deadline, he formally sent the list of players to SAFF, the governing body of South Asian football.

A total of six countries are taking part in this year's regional tournament. Although the deadline fell on Sunday, SAFF extended the submission window by two more days after several teams asked for extra time. Bangladesh, however, did not wait for the extension and sent its list on the scheduled day.

Usually, in any international or regional competition, teams first submit a preliminary list of 35 players and announce the final squad just one day before the tournament begins. This time, however, SAFF has made some changes to the rules.

Under the new rules, each country was allowed to register 50 footballers initially, but was formally required to trim the names down to 28 by October 18. In other words, every team has had to settle its main squad well before the tournament starts.

Bangladesh head coach Thomas Dooley has spoken about the obligation to submit the list so long before the tournament. Noting that he named the team in compliance with SAFF's rules, he said: "It is SAFF's law. There is nothing we can do about it. I was told to submit the list by October 18, and I have done so according to the rules."

Meanwhile, an uncertainty has arisen over players' form and injury risk before the tournament. Under the rules, there is no scope to bring in anyone new from outside the submitted 28 — whether someone loses form or picks up an injury.

With that risk in view, attention will be on the upcoming domestic fixtures. The domestic Federation Cup matches roll onto the field tomorrow, and six more league matches will be played next Friday and Saturday. If any footballer underperforms in these matches or suffers an injury, it will be an added worry for the Bangladesh team.

Coach Dooley therefore faces a two-way calculation — on the one hand, preparing for the tournament with the submitted 28; on the other, keeping a careful eye on their fitness and form in the domestic matches. If a player gets injured, there is virtually no room for an alternative.

In this six-team regional tournament starting November 5, Bangladesh will aim to deliver a strong performance. Organising the team in the remaining preparation time is now the main task of the coaching staff.

All in all, with the squad finalised early because of the rules, the Bangladesh camp must now do its sums carefully — the red-and-greens will have to take the SAFF stage keeping the submitted 28 footballers fit and in rhythm.