The Bangladesh football team finally set foot on home soil Thursday afternoon after being stuck in a Kathmandu hotel for three days.
The violent unrest in Nepal that began on Monday prevented the players from attending their training session that day, canceled their FIFA friendly match against the hosts on Tuesday, and restricted all kinds of outdoor activities.
The entire team remained confined to their hotel as protests continued across Nepal.
The team’s initial return flight was scheduled for Wednesday, a day after the match. However, the plan was pushed back after Tuesday’s game was canceled due to the violent protests, which left around 19 people dead and dozens injured.
Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport had been closed since Monday, leaving Bangladesh unable to return home despite repeated attempts.
The demonstrations eventually led to the resignation of Nepal’s Prime Minister, the destruction of politicians’ houses, and the setting of the parliament building on fire, leaving the footballers anxious in their hotel.
The situation improved once the army deployed patrols on the streets, and soon afterward, the airport was reopened.
The Bangladesh government said it made “all-out efforts” to bring the team home, which resulted in arranging a special flight on Thursday.
According to a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), a Bangladesh Air Force aircraft departed Dhaka for Kathmandu to bring back the footballers, coaches, and officials to the capital.
The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Youth and Sports Ministry said the Bangladesh football team was expected to land at the military airport in Kurmitola at around 4:40 p.m.
Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) later confirmed that the footballers landed in Dhaka safely.