Bashundhara Kings face Syria’s Al-Karamah today, 12 August, in the AFC Challenge League, but a dramatic twist has left them without their appointed head coach. Brazilian Sérgio Farias, who was expected to arrive in Qatar to lead the side, has instead been unveiled by Iraq’s Duhok Sports Club. The Iraqi outfit posted photos on Instagram last night showing Farias signing a contract with them.
Farias, a coach with experience managing Brazil’s youth teams and several clubs across Asia, was officially announced as Kings’ new boss on 18 July. Club president Imrul Hassan had confirmed he would travel with the squad to Qatar. However, the news from Duhok has thrown the Kings’ preparations into confusion just a day before their tournament opener.
The development spread rapidly on social media among Bangladesh’s football community. Kings officials, coaching staff, and even players in Qatar have remained unreachable, while there has been no official comment from president Imrul Hassan.
AFC regulations require a head coach with a Pro Licence to be present at the pre-match press conference, yet the Kings’ local coaches, Mahbub Hossain Roksy and Syed Golam Jilani, only hold A Licences. It is still unclear whether one of them will act as caretaker for today’s match or if the team will play without a head coach, an absence that could result in a fine.
The squad departed Bangladesh on 11 August and trained in Doha later that evening. All contracted foreign players, including UK-based Cuban Mitchell, have arrived on schedule. Farias has not appeared in any of the club’s training images or videos from Qatar.
Speaking to the media ahead of the match, captain Topu Barman remained upbeat:
“We trained for about two weeks in Dhaka and the sessions went well. This match is very important for the club and the country. I believe everyone in the team is serious and we came here to win. Everyone is positive and I hope we’ll get a good result.”
On the sweltering conditions in Qatar, he added:
“Yesterday we trained in over 40 degrees. It’s tough, but as professional footballers we have to adapt to any environment. We are preparing ourselves.”