Squad Trimmed: Six Players Dropped from Bangladesh's ASEAN Cup Team

Head coach Thomas Dooley has begun trimming the Bangladesh football squad ahead of the ASEAN Cup. After a few days of training with the initially announced 28-member squad, he has dropped six players.

The six players excluded from the preliminary squad are Yasar Tahmid, Debjit Sarkar, Isa Faisal, Kazem Shah, Taj Uddin, and Rabbi Hossain.

One More Player to be Dropped

Amirul Islam Babu, the manager of the Bangladesh national football team, stated that narrowing down the preliminary squad over time is a standard procedure. The six players were dropped as part of this process.

He mentioned that one more player would be dropped following today's training session. However, the final number of players the Bangladesh team will take to Indonesia for the ASEAN Cup has not yet been confirmed.

Isa Faisal Misses Out on Final Squad

Isa Faisal is one of the notable players to be dropped. This proven Bangladeshi full-back had been out of the national team setup for a long period.

Although he did not get regular opportunities under Javier Cabrera, Isa was part of the starting XI in Thomas Dooley's debut match as Bangladesh coach against San Marino. However, he failed to secure a spot in the final squad for the ASEAN Cup this time.

Bangladesh to Depart for Indonesia on September 19

The Bangladesh team is set to depart for Indonesia on September 19 to participate in the ASEAN Cup. In Group A, Bangladesh will face hosts Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.

All three group-stage matches will be held at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.

Bangladesh will kick off the tournament with a match against Malaysia on September 25. They will then play against Singapore on September 28. Bangladesh's final group-stage match is scheduled for October 1 against hosts Indonesia.

The first two matches are scheduled to start at 3:00 PM (Bangladesh time), while the final match is set for 6:30 PM.