Putting an end to all speculations, Javier Cabrera will continue as the head coach of the Bangladesh national football team—for now. This decision was announced today (Saturday) after a meeting of the National Teams Committee of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF).
Questions about Cabrera’s future arose after Bangladesh’s 2-1 loss to Singapore in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. After that match, BFF President and National Teams Committee Chairman Tabith Awal told journalists that the committee would decide Cabrera’s fate.
Today’s much-anticipated meeting was held with BFF’s top officials in attendance—though Cabrera himself was not present, as he is currently on leave in his home country, Spain. Earlier, he had made a short trip to Dhaka to observe trials for expatriate players and had met with Tabith and a few senior officials. That meeting had already hinted that BFF was not planning to remove Cabrera abruptly.
Regarding the decision to field three expatriate players together for the first time in the Singapore match, Cabrera had commented, “It was their first time playing together; it will take time.”
Following today’s meeting, it was confirmed that Cabrera will continue as coach for the upcoming series against Nepal. BFF had asked him for an explanation regarding the team’s performance against Singapore, and they were reportedly satisfied with his response. As a result, he has been given another opportunity.
The Nepal series is now being seen as a “test of fire” for Cabrera. The National Teams Committee believes that this series could be a stage for him to prove himself once again—and it might ultimately determine his long-term future with the team.
