Bangladesh women’s football team head coach Peter Butler finally gave his version of the story after complaints made by a big group of national female booters.
The British tactician termed the objections as “ill truth” and said he would not work with “certain individuals” from the protesting footballers anymore.
“They have got no facts, they speak complete illicit ill truths, and I will not coach certain individuals whilst I'm here,” Butler said at the Bangladesh Football Federation House Wednesday.
“I find it absolutely crazy that they are allowed to do that,” he told the media.
“There are no facts, no truths…They are playing the victim card, which is nonsense. It should be stopped. It has to stop,” the head coach added.
Butler did not mention in details but according to reports, he provided the federation the names of around seven footballers with whom he refused to work with moving forward.
“I haven’t given names. I've said there are a certain number of players who have refused to come to training - they are ringleaders,” he said.
A total of 18 players in the national women’s football camp drafted and signed a letter against Butler and sent it to the BFF president Tabith Awal last week.
The federation then formed a special probe committee to look into the matter.
“If it's a choice between them being here and me being here, so be it. I'm a big boy. I've got broad shoulders. I'm from the UK. You got to remember, I come from a football culture where if they performed and did things which they had been doing here, they would be upstairs with their bags packed,” he stated.
Butler also said the reason behind the Bangladesh girls not playing abroad is that they lack discipline.
“How many girls have played overseas from Bangladesh? They have not, because they lack discipline,” he said.
The probe committee was asked to submit their report by Thursday.
In the meantime, the women’s wing committee’s chairman Mahfuza Akter Kiron said she tried to bring the protesting players back to training, but to no avail.
Butler also made it clear that he would not continue if the “ringleaders” stay.
He said: “There needs to be no negotiations. I've made it perfectly clear, it's a choice: either they stay or I stay, as simple as that.”
