Thomas Dooley wasted no time making his intentions clear after being officially unveiled as Bangladesh’s new head football coach on Friday 22 May, setting a FIFA ranking target of between 150 and 160 and vowing to end a 23-year trophy drought as he signed a two-year contract with the Bangladesh Football Federation.
Dooley arrived in Dhaka on an Emirates flight on Friday morning and was formally introduced to the public the same afternoon by BFF president Tabith Awal at the Kool-BSPA Sports Award 2025 ceremony at a five-star hotel in the capital. Hours after landing, the American coach was already on stage outlining his philosophy, his goals, and his expectations of the players who will now fall under his charge.
On why he chose Bangladesh, Dooley was direct. “When I worked in Malaysia and the Philippines, I met many people from Bangladesh and they were all driven by football and loved the game,” he said. “There is a huge amount of passion here, and I knew a little about Bangladesh already. When this position became available, I applied and thought it would be a great place to work.”
The new coach was equally candid about the weight of expectation that comes with the role, drawing on his German roots with a touch of humour. “Don’t forget, I am German. I know how to handle pressure,” he said. “In Bangladesh there are perhaps one million coaches outside the stadium, and they all understand football very well. That is a good thing. But we have to be realistic. We have not won anything in 23 years. I think the time has come to change that.”
Dooley was clear that a rapid transformation in the FIFA rankings would not happen overnight, with Bangladesh currently hovering around the 180 mark. “My target is to bring the ranking to between 150 and 160,” he said. “This will not happen overnight. It is a process. Being realistic, getting below 160 within one year is achievable.”
On his footballing philosophy, Dooley was unequivocal. Possession and control, not pressing and chasing, will define his approach. “I love to play football, I do not like to chase the ball,” he said. “I tell my players the same. Chasing the ball means running for no reason, working hard to win it back, and most of the time you do not get it back anyway. I like to play football.”
He was equally demanding in his expectations of the players’ mentality and commitment. “I want to motivate the players because this requires hard work,” he said. “All the champions in this room worked hard for what they achieved. Our players should speak to them about the sacrifices they made in their lives to reach this level. Hard work comes before rewards. If you want to achieve something, you must sacrifice certain things. Those who are ready to do that, we will get there together.”
Dooley has also written a book on the subject, titled The Truth About Success in Soccer That No One Teaches, which he said centres on four pillars, one of which is mindset. “Mindset cannot be changed, it is a way of thinking,” he said. “We need to think about football and understand what we need to do, and then we can achieve anything.”
Reflecting on the passionate but demanding nature of Bangladeshi supporters, Dooley was philosophical and good-humoured. “I am already aware,” he said with a smile. “I already have one million new friends from Bangladesh on social media.”
His previous experience in Asian football, having guided the Philippines to the Asian Cup, means Dooley arrives in Bangladesh with a sound understanding of the regional football culture and its unique pressures. “I worked in the Philippines, so I have an understanding of the culture here,” he said. “I know how passionate and emotional the supporters of Bangladesh are.”
