Bangladesh’s SAFF Futsal Championship campaign in Thailand was overshadowed by the expulsion of vice-captain Intishar Mostafa Chowdhury for repeated breaches of the team code of conduct.
While the regional futsal tournament continues inside an indoor arena in Thailand, the Bangladesh Football Federation has taken a hard line on discipline, making it clear that team unity and professionalism will not be compromised. Intishar, who featured in Bangladesh’s first two matches, has been withdrawn from the squad and will not play any further part in the tournament.
The immediate flashpoint came during Bangladesh’s second match against Maldives, when Intishar was shown a red card. Shortly afterwards, the player shared footage of the incident on his personal Facebook page and raised a number of allegations. That public response prompted swift action from the federation.
In a letter sent on January 17, BFF informed Intishar that his conduct had undermined the team’s professional structure and damaged the dressing-room environment. The federation’s internal review concluded that, despite holding a senior leadership role, his actions had weakened squad unity and morale.
BFF officials determined that questioning the leadership framework during an ongoing tournament left them with little choice but to take decisive action. As a result, Intishar was sent back to Bangladesh midway through the competition, a move the federation described as necessary to protect overall discipline within the team.
Bangladesh are scheduled to play their third match on Sunday evening, but news of losing the vice-captain has created a sense of unease within the camp. Team management, however, has defended the decision, arguing that the intervention was required to reset the environment and uphold long-term professionalism.
