Cuba Mitchell and Morshed Ali joined Bangladesh’s national football camp on Sunday. The two players arrived to strengthen the squad after injuries hit key members during training.
The camp began on 30 October under head coach Javier Cabrera. After five days of drills, the Bangladesh Football Federation named a 27-man preliminary squad on 5 November. Mitchell from Bashundhara Kings and Morshed from Fortis FC became the latest additions.
Mitchell’s inclusion ended months of speculation. The England-born forward joined Bashundhara Kings from Sunderland U-21 earlier this season. Talks about his national call-up began in June, but passport and paperwork issues delayed his debut. Even after joining Kings, Cabrera did not include him in September and October.
Last week, Cabrera said Mitchell was left out because of limited match time. “He has not been getting consistent minutes,” the coach explained. Four days later, the forward earned his long-awaited call-up.
Team officials confirmed that forward Ibrahim and defender Rahmat picked up injuries. Their recovery reports were not encouraging. As a result, Cabrera brought in Cuba and Morshed to fill the gaps.
Morshed had trained with the Under-23 team for the AFC U-23 Championship qualifiers. His senior return adds depth ahead of Bangladesh’s next fixtures.
The national team shifted Sunday’s training to Bashundhara Kings Arena because the Dhaka National Stadium is hosting the Asian Archery Championships. Cabrera’s men want uninterrupted sessions as they prepare for their next international challenge later this month.
