Bashundhara Kings endured a scare in Kuwait ahead of their final AFC Challenge League match when their team bus met with an accident en route to the stadium on 31 October. The incident occurred as the Bangladeshi champions were travelling to face Kuwait SC at the Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Stadium, with the match scheduled for 10:00 PM Bangladesh time.
According to Kings’ media manager Ahmed Shayek, one of the bus tyres suddenly burst, causing the vehicle to tilt to one side. The driver managed to regain control before it could overturn, preventing any injuries or major damage. “Our bus tyre burst on the way to the stadium and the vehicle leaned slightly, but it was brought under control immediately. Thankfully, everyone is safe,” Shayek confirmed. The bus, however, later became immobile, and players were taken to the ground in another vehicle.
The delay caused by the incident meant the team reached the stadium only an hour before kick-off, rather than the usual 90 minutes prior. Kings requested a short delay to the start of the match, asking for a 15 to 30-minute extension, but the match commissioner from Kyrgyzstan rejected the appeal and insisted that the game begin at the scheduled time.
As a result, the Bangladeshi side were forced to take the field after only a brief warm-up. Several club officials later revealed that there had been heated exchanges with the match commissioner following the decision, though the game went ahead as planned.
Kings’ opponents, Kuwait SC, had collected four points from their first two matches and needed a win to top the group with seven points and progress to the next round. The timing of the incident raised some eyebrows, with suspicions of possible foul play surfacing, given the significance of the fixture.
