No place for Jamal Bhuiyan against Maldives

Bangladesh coach Javier Cabrera has not included captain Jamal Bhuiyan in the preliminary squad for the upcoming FIFA friendlies against Maldives at home next month.

The two matches will take place in Dhaka on November 13 and 16.

The Spanish head coach announced a 16-member preliminary squad on Wednesday morning, barring players from the Bashundhara Kings who are currently in Thimphu for the AFC Challenge League.

Among those 16 members, though, there was no place for Bangladesh's most-capped player Jamal, who has been without a club since the end of last season after failing to negotiate terms with his former club Abahani.

While the Bangladesh football season will only get underway from late November, Bashundhara Kings, who feature most of the national team players, have been busy with pre-season friendlies and AFC campaign. The other teams, too, have started their preparations but Jamal, who played as second-half substitutes in September friendlies against Bhutan, has largely been out of club practice since the end of last season in May this year. He, however, trained for a few days with Brothers Union despite not being registered with the club.

Coach Cabrera, when asked about Jamal's situation a couple of days ago, said it's a difficult situation for the captain as he's been out of action for a long time. Most of the non-Bashundhara players, the coach added, were short of fitness due to having no competition. 

Although the coach did not categorically say he would exclude Jamal, the team announcement suggests this could be a long absence from national team for Jamal, who is currently in Denmark, unless he finds a club soon.