Questions linger as Sabina and four rebels stay sidelined
Bangladesh squad announcement is imminent ahead of their fast-approaching tri-nation series in Jordan, where two formidable oppositions beyond the South Asian region await.
However, it is apparent that the women's team would be missing their talisman Sabina Khatun and four other SAFF winners: Sanjida Akhter, Masura Parvin, Krishna Rani Sarkar, and Matsushima Sumaya.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Sabina is among the 10 Bangladesh players who have been taking part in the Bhutan Women's League, which began recently. This bunch also happens to be of the 18 seniors who had refused to play under head coach Peter Butler earlier in January this year.
Ahead of Jordan tour, calling up five of 10 rebels -- Rituporna Chakma, Shamsunnahar, Rupna Chakma, Maria Manda, and Monika Chakma -- playing in Bhutan to the national training camp may seem, on the surface, a step towards reintegration, but it also leaves more questions than answers.
In particular, Sabina's omission stands out like a sore thumb. She is Bangladesh's all-time leading goal-scorer, the captain who lifted two SAFF trophies on the trot. At 31, the right-footed forward is far from having left her prime.
For Sabina, however, this experience is neither new nor a distant memory, as she, alongside 18 rebels, did not make the cut in last February-March's fixtures in the UAE.
Last year, around midway between Butler's appointment as permanent head coach and the 2024 SAFF Championship, she was benched in the second friendly against Chinese Taipei, and the decision was attributed to fitness by the English coach.
Interestingly, when interviewed a few months into Butler's tenure, she offered a measured assessment to The Daily Star:
"Every coach has a different philosophy, which we all accept and respect. Every player also wants to present themselves the way the coach desires. I think the coach should talk to the girls to discuss which system they prefer and how they can do better."
This is hardly the rhetoric of a disruptive presence.
Tactically, Butler has brought a different blueprint -- high-line defence, quick offensive transitions, more width. But such shifts shouldn't necessarily mean total abandonment of what had worked -- as demonstrated in the 2022 SAFF Championship under Golam Rabbani Choton, where team chemistry and the ability to dictate game's tempo had caught attention.
The 2024 SAFF opener against Pakistan showed the cost of transition without planning. Bangladesh looked out of sorts. A 1-1 draw raised early questions. Soon after, the rumours of the rift surfaced. However, the indomitable group recalibrated to stay on course, nevertheless, bringing home the silverware again.
Following the rebellion, coach Butler had labelled the protestors a toxic influence, even referring to some as "ringleaders".
So why are only some back now? Is Butler slowly separating the so-called "ringleaders" from those he can comfortably work with? Or is he adamant on giving more exposure to the stars in the making?
At the heart of the current issue lies a broader question: What kind of culture does BFF want to foster?
Ignoring indiscipline or keeping veterans based on sentiment alone is short-sighted, but so is excluding them without a path to redemption or reconciliation.
Besides, young players need role models, but more than that, they need a healthy and competitive environment to flourish. Replacing senior players abruptly is certainly counterproductive in this regard.
What is also evident is that the reaction to this saga has been muted. One wonders whether the public and media response would have been different had it involved the men's team or a male captain with an enviable track record like Sabina's.
The women's football team, with two major trophies, stands apart as Bangladesh's most successful sporting outfit -- given the only SAFF title for Bangladesh men's team coming over two decades ago and, and the 2018 Asia Cup triumph being the one major trophy in the country's most popular sport, cricket; and that too, was brought by the women.
There is still time. There is still opportunity. If Bangladesh football wants to build on what has been achieved, it must prioritise unity over divisions -- reach an "amicable" solution as the board president Tabith Awal had hoped.
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