Bangladesh began their preparations for the FIFA ASEAN Cup with a light training session in Jakarta on Sunday, hours after arriving in Indonesia following a tiring journey.
The national team reached Jakarta on Sunday morning ahead of their first appearance in the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup, which begins later this week. Bangladesh have been drawn in Group A alongside hosts Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, with their campaign opening against Malaysia on 25 September at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.
Bangladesh travelled to Indonesia ahead of the tournament to give the players time to acclimatise, but the journey itself left the squad short on sleep.
Team manager Amirul Islam Babu said the players had a two-hour transit in Singapore before another two-hour wait after reaching Indonesia. A further delay at the airport added to their fatigue.
“To be honest, I would say that our journey was very tiring. None of the players were able to sleep properly during the night,” Babu said.
With little rest after the journey, the coaching staff decided to prioritise recovery. The players had lunch at around noon before returning to their hotel rooms, where most of them slept until around 6 or 6:30pm.
They then headed to the training ground at around 8pm for their first session in Jakarta.
The session was kept deliberately light, with stretching and limited training taking priority as Thomas Dooley’s side began adjusting to the conditions.
“Today, it will mostly be some stretching and perhaps around an hour to an hour and a half of light practice,” Babu said.
Bangladesh will train again on Monday at 6pm as preparations intensify ahead of their opening match against Malaysia. They will then face Singapore on 28 September before meeting hosts Indonesia on 1 October.
