Photo: Collected
Thomas Dooley has had only four matches as coach of the Bangladesh team. How could he get more matches, after all, when he arrived only five months ago? Yet in this short time he has understood a great deal about Bangladesh.
Dooley was appointed coach of Bangladesh in May this year. He is charmed by the warmth of the people of the country. In an interview with Ajker Patrika, along with praising Bangladesh’s hospitality, he also mentioned netizens in a light-hearted way. The Bangladesh coach said, ‘I have actually got to know many good people. The people at the hotels I have stayed in, people I have met on the street – many of them have come forward and talked to me. They have taken photographs. Everyone is very warm. But on social media people hate us as if we are their enemies (laughs)!’
Children of course, and young men too, get absorbed in football in their leisure time in every corner of the country. Many also take to playing cricket with stumps, bat and ball. Watching the likes of Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Liton Das and Mehedi Hasan Miraz play, many are inspired by cricket. Although it has not won the title of any major tournament, the Bangladesh cricket team has achieved many memorable feats.
Dooley, however, does not like cricket; he does not even have any idea about the game. The Bangladesh coach said, ‘No (about liking cricket). I have no idea about cricket! There is no cricket in Germany. Where I was in the United States, there was no cricket either. So I have no idea about cricket.’
Hamza Chowdhury, Fahamidul Islam, Shuki Itfusa, Shamit Shome, Zidane Yusuf – expatriates now abound in Bangladesh football. Seeing this, the interest of the country’s sports lovers in football has grown a great deal. In particular, whenever Hamza is seen at the National Stadium in Dhaka, the galleries resound with chants of ‘Hamza, Hamza’.
Asked about local and expatriate players, Dooley said, ‘I have no problem with this kind of player. But two matters have to be understood separately here – a player who changes citizenship and plays, and a footballer of Bangladeshi origin. I always support this kind of player. Because I too played for the United States. I lived in Germany, I had German citizenship as well, but by birth I am American. If I hold the citizenship of two countries and I cannot play for either of those two countries, then that would be unjust. But I do not support the matter of playing for a national team merely by changing citizenship.’
