Bangladesh football team head coach Jamie Day, who is still Covid-19 positive after his third and latest test Sunday, was not the happiest person after coming to learn about the opponents of two practice matches scheduled within this week before the crucial tie against Qatar.
Qatar Football Association confirmed the names of two opposition teams - Army Football Team for Wednesday’s practice match and Lusail Sports Club for Saturday.
None of the teams are from the Qatar’s top-flight Stars League as requested by the Bangladesh Football Federation earlier.
Army team doesn’t compete in the professional tiers while Lusail play in the second division.
“I needed better opponents than the ones provided,” said the English coach.
All the players and coaches of the Bangladesh football team in Qatar tested Covid-19 negative and were allowed to train...
Posted by Sports Tribune on Sunday, 22 November 2020
“Qatar played Costa Rica and South Korea and we are playing the Army and a division two team so not sure we are playing the same level required to face Qatar.”
Bangladesh earlier played a two-game Fifa friendly series against Nepal, on November 13 and 17, but both teams were underprepared with less than three-week preparation.
When asked what the message to the players in his absence is before facing the Asian champion and World Cup host, Day replied, “I’m speaking to them daily so they know [they] need to get back training and working hard.”
The pending 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup joint qualification’s Group E fixture will be held at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium on December 4.
