The term ‘closed door’ is now quite common in Bangladeshi football. The Spanish coach of the national team, Javier Cabrera, is holding most of the practices and warm-up matches behind closed doors. He has reduced the media’s access to the field and hotel to almost zero.
Bangladesh will play two friendly matches against Nepal in Kathmandu on September 6 and 9. Out of the three preparatory matches for these two matches, two were played against Bangladesh Police Football Club. The team that includes Nepal national team captain Kiran Limbu and Ayush Ghalan. Police team head coach Asifuzzaman confirmed that both Nepalese footballers played two matches against Bangladesh national team.
Coach Javier Cabrera is not giving the media the opportunity to watch the preparatory matches. So that the opponent does not know any information or strategy. However, he has played two preparatory matches with the captain of the opposing team. Police goalkeeper Kiran is a very experienced footballer. Naturally, he will be able to understand Coach Javier’s strategy and plan. Which he will provide to Nepal team’s Australian coach Matt Ross. Bangladesh team is leaving the country for Kathmandu tomorrow. Two Nepalese footballers have left Dhaka before that. Regarding this, the head coach of the police team said, “Although Ayush plays in the national team, he has been called up for the U-23 AFC Championship qualifiers this time. Along with him, Kiran has also been given leave for the FIFA window.”
Coach Javier Cabrera’s team selection and player changes have been in question for a long time. This time, his shortsightedness is also coming to the fore. In world football, coaches are not seen imposing such strict restrictions on friendly matches. There, he is constantly hiding from the media and checking the preparations with a team that is the captain of the Nepal team that will play a few days later. However, the national team was not complete in the two matches played against Police. Because the footballers of Bashundhara Kings had not yet joined. However, that deficiency has been filled again by Kiran because Police-Kings played matches among themselves again.
Today, the national team played a warm-up match against Forties FC with a full team. Since this match was also closed door, the federation did not officially announce the results. However, it is known that the match was drawn 1-1. Tapu Barman scored a goal for the national team. Forties has now included Nepalese footballer Anant Tamang in the team. He has not yet come to Dhaka. He will come to Dhaka after playing two matches against Bangladesh. Even if Anant Tamang doesn’t play today, you can still get some information through team video footage or teammates.
Since footballers from the SAARC region are now considered domestic, Nepali footballers are playing for Forties, Police, Rahmatganj, and Brothers Union. The domestic football season in Bangladesh is starting from September 15. Except for Abahani, Bashundhara Kings, Forties, and Police, no other club has started a camp in that sense. So perhaps the national team had to play two warm-up matches with Police out of necessity. Even though they were forced to play with the captain of the opposing team, Javier Cabrera seems to have a lot of problems giving access to the media. The federation also seems to be helpless against the coach!
FAQ
Why is Coach Javier Cabrera limiting media access?
Cabrera wants to keep his strategies and team plans secret ahead of the friendlies against Nepal.
What matches is Bangladesh preparing for?
Bangladesh will play two friendly matches against Nepal in Kathmandu on September 6 and 9, 2025.
How has Cabrera restricted media coverage?
Most training sessions and warm-up games have been played behind closed doors, with very limited media access to players and staff.
Who did Bangladesh play in warm-up matches?
The team played practice games against Bangladesh Police FC, Forties FC, and others, often without official result announcements.
