Booters ‘eager to surprise all’

As the stand-in captain, Hasan Al Mamun was the first Bangladeshi footballer to hold the coveted trophy of the SAFF Championship in front of a packed Bangabandhu National Stadium in 2003 after regular captain Rajani Kanta Barman missed the final against Maldives due to suspension.

Hasan, who has been with the national team as the assistant coach for nearly two years, spoke to The Daily Star over phone on the eve of Bangladesh's tournament opener against a vastly superior Lebanon.

"This time around, the inclusion of two guest teams (Lebanon and Kuwait) has made the tournament tough for all. We are focusing on uniting the squad.

"A point against Lebanon will be a big achievement… and everyone is thinking of keeping a clean sheet in the match. However, [the game against] Maldives remains our main challenge," informed Hasan yesterday.

The 44-year-old went down the memory lane of 2003 and gave his insights on the possibility of the current national team in the ongoing regional football extravaganza.

"You always need to have unity, spirit, form and some other factors to become champions. During the 2003 SAFF Championship, Bangladesh got huge support from the gallery on home ground, and that was a different scenario.

"There were quality players in that [2003] squad and there are some technically sound players in the current squad but none as skilful as [playmaker midfielder] Arman Mia."

Since the maiden SAFF triumph in their fourth attempt, Bangladesh could play the final of the SAFF Championship only once in next seven editions.

"In that period, Bangladesh were in the race for the Championship and everyone respected Bangladesh. The tournament was so competitive but luck did not favour us. This squad has also been performing well but the results are not being shown.

Having failed to progress past the group stage in previous five editions as well, hopes remain slim for the men in red and green but Hasan, however, is optimistic of Bangladesh's chances this time.

"There are a lot of new players in the squad and they are taking things from the training. I think they are ready for the tournament and eager to surprise all.

"This team also have a good chance to do well because our midfield is very organised and the backline is also quite good. Our plan revolves around Tapu [Barman] and Jamal [Bhuiyan] who can understand the game-model better than others in their positions."