Bangladesh head coach Thomas Dooley has explained why he chose Topu Barman over Jamal Bhuyan as captain for the SAFF Championship opener against Bhutan.
Topu attended Wednesday’s press conference as the new captain ahead of Thursday’s match at the National Stadium in Dhaka.
Jamal has led Bangladesh for several years. His absence from the captain’s seat raised questions about the decision.
Dooley said there was nothing unusual about the change, as he had already used different captains during his time with the team.
“Since I am here I had three or two captains so far. So Topu was the captain before when we went to Italy. Jamal was the captain before in Italy,” Dooley said.
“So it’s not a big surprise that he will be the captain tomorrow in the game.”
The coach said he wanted a player who could lead the defence and organise his teammates from the back.
He believes a central defender or defensive midfielder can perform that role well.
“It’s always good that you have somebody in the back, not the goalkeeper but a center back or a defensive midfield player as a captain,” he said.
Dooley also praised Topu’s experience and leadership.
“He is a leader in the team so he is respected,” he said.
The coach made it clear that wearing the captain’s armband was not the only way to lead a team. He said Bangladesh had several players who could guide their teammates, including Jamal, Hamza Choudhury and Saad Uddin.
“Hamza for example is a captain also when he doesn’t want to have the captain band he doesn’t need it,” Dooley said.
“You be a leader and you can guide the players in front of you or next to you 90 minutes. You don’t have to have the captain band.”
Dooley also played down the attention surrounding the captaincy change.
“The captain band it is not such a big deal that many people think,” he said.
Topu’s return also comes as a boost for Bangladesh ahead of the tournament. The experienced defender missed the recent ASEAN Cup and some domestic matches because of fitness problems.
Dooley revealed that Topu was not fully fit during the team’s preparations. The coaching staff did not want to risk another injury before the tournament.
“Topu for example wasn’t 100% ready to play 90 minute game or maybe 45 minute game so we had to wait,” he said.
The coach confirmed that Topu had returned to training and was ready for the opening match.
“I’m very happy that he’s here and he’s training with us,” Dooley said.
“Tomorrow he will be the captain, so he’s ready to play.”
Bangladesh will begin their SAFF Championship campaign against Bhutan on Thursday before facing Sri Lanka on November 11.
