The Bangladesh Football Federation have appointed British-French coach Gerard Jones as their new youth development head coach on a two-year contract, with Jones expected to arrive in Bangladesh by the first week of July.
The 36-year-old holds a UEFA A licence and UEFA Elite A Youth licence and brings a varied international coaching portfolio to the role. He began his career at just 21 as Director of Coaching at Arsenal’s soccer school before going on to work as a coaching educator for both the American and Moroccan football federations. He has also worked at Sporting Kansas City’s MLS academy and most recently served as coach at Vietnamese club Visakha.
BFF Development Committee member Samid Kasheem outlined the selection process following the committee meeting at which the appointment was confirmed. “We received 115 CVs. From those, myself, the Technical Director and School Committee chairman Sartaj Bhuiyan shortlisted 18 candidates. From those 18, we conducted lengthy interviews with five based on various criteria. We then ranked the five candidates and offered the job to the first-ranked candidate. He accepted, so there was no need to approach the others.”
Jones’s immediate priority will be preparing Bangladesh’s Under-20 side for the AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualifiers in Uzbekistan, beginning 29 August, where Bangladesh face the hosts, Syria and India.
The appointment follows a turbulent period in the BFF’s youth coaching structure. Golam Rabbani Choton served as Head of Youth and Academy before being abruptly replaced ahead of the SAFF Under-20 Tournament by British coach Mark Cox, whose qualifications drew significant public scrutiny. Despite Bangladesh winning the SAFF title under Cox, he was not retained. Former national footballer Zulfikar Mahmud, who holds an AFC Pro Licence, had also applied for the current vacancy, but the BFF ultimately opted for Jones.
