Jamal Bhuiyan asks for release letter to join Argentine club

Bangladesh national team captain Jamal Bhuiyan may have played his last domestic match of the season on Tuesday when his side Sheikh Russel KC suffered a 5-4 defeat to Abahani in penalty shootout in the Federation Cup.

Jamal hit the headlines on Monday after several Argentinian news portals reported that the Bangladesh captain was signed by Sol de Mayo, a third division club of the country, following the Bangladesh captain's courtesy meeting with visiting Argentine foreign minister Santiago Andres Cafiero.

Even though Jamal initially denied the report, he admitted to The Daily Star on Tuesday that he did get an offer from Sol De Mayo. However, his contract with Sheikh Russel is apparently a barrier in accepting the offer.

"It's a huge milestone for Bangladesh football and Bangladesh, also very historic [matter] in Bangladesh," Jamal told The Daily Star. "I want to go there and the club people from Argentina have come here because they are serious."

It has been learnt that Sheikh Russel management does not want to release Jamal in the middle of the season as, according to them, he is the best player among the locals.

"I will speak with them tomorrow (Wednesday) and request them to provide me with the release latter," said Jamal.

Jamal had previously played in Kolkata-based Mohammedan Sporting Club when the now-defunct Saif SC allowed him to play in the I-League. Mohammedan later signed him in the mid-term window.

Meanwhile, the match at the Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj ended in a 3-3 draw before the Sky Blues won on penalties to seal the top spot in the group. The domestic season will take a break now for a month or so to make way to the national team's international assignments.