Just 24 hours after the Bangladesh Football Federation announced Thomas Dooley as the new national team head coach, Youth and Sports State Minister Aminul Haque has revealed that the German-American coach’s contract has not yet been finalised, and that the friendly against San Marino on 5 June will effectively serve as a trial match before any long-term commitment is made.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday following an AFC Grassroots Football Day event in the capital, the former Bangladesh national team captain was candid about the government’s position on the appointment.
“Given the current state of Bangladesh football, it would not be right to rush into a long-term contract. We should first evaluate the coach on a trial basis. We will watch the San Marino match and take a final decision after assessing his tactics and approach,” Aminul said.
He also revealed that the BFF had not consulted the Sports Ministry before deciding on Dooley, a departure from the process that had been followed during the earlier search for a coach. When the BFF was pursuing Chris Coleman, they had formally sought the ministry’s support and received it. No such consultation took place in the case of Dooley.
“BFF previously asked for our full cooperation regarding Coleman and the ministry agreed to that. But when it came to bringing Thomas Dooley, BFF did not seek any advice or assistance from the ministry,” Aminul said.
Despite the lack of consultation, the minister was careful to stress that the relationship between the Sports Ministry and the BFF remained intact and that the unilateral decision had not created any rift between the two bodies.
He added that he had already advised BFF president Tabith Awal to continue searching for potentially stronger coaching candidates in parallel, keeping options open even as Dooley begins his tenure.
The disclosure raises fresh questions about the process surrounding Dooley’s arrival. He landed in Dhaka on 22 May and was publicly announced by the BFF through an official social media post shortly after, with the federation presenting the appointment as confirmed. The minister’s comments suggest the situation is considerably less settled than that announcement implied, with the San Marino fixture now taking on a significance beyond a routine friendly.
