Bangladesh men’s football team marked their entry into international futsal with a spirited performance, despite a heavy 0–12 defeat to Iran in their opening match of the Asian Futsal Qualifiers in Malaysia on 20 September.
Iran, ranked fifth in the world and record 13-time Asian champions, were always expected to dominate. While a 12–0 scoreline might seem emphatic in regular football, in futsal such margins are less unusual, particularly against one of the strongest teams in the sport.
Canada-based Rahbar Khan, who previously represented Bangladesh’s national football side under Jamie Day, captained the futsal team in their debut. Goalkeeper Jahid Hasan Rabbi started between the posts, with Mahmudul Hasan Kiron, Mostafa Chowdhury and Kazi Ibrahim completing the outfield line-up. Other squad members also featured later in the game.
Played in two halves of 20 minutes each, the match saw Bangladesh trail 0–6 at half-time before conceding another six goals after the break. Although they were unable to score, the team’s effort in their first-ever international fixture against such formidable opposition was noted as encouraging.
The team trained for six weeks under Iranian coach Saeed Khodarahmi, including more than a fortnight of intensive preparation in Kuala Lumpur due to the lack of futsal facilities in Dhaka. Like traditional football, futsal has its own FIFA World Cup and AFC Asian Cup, though Bangladesh had never previously participated in international competition.
The Bangladesh Football Federation has recently placed greater emphasis on futsal, appointing foreign coaches to guide its development. With this foundation, the side are aiming to grow from the experience of facing Iran.
Bangladesh will next face hosts Malaysia on 22 September, followed by their final group match against the United Arab Emirates on 24 September. From the qualifiers, eight group winners and the seven best runners-up will advance to the AFC Futsal Asian Cup next year.
