Sri Lanka coach declines Hamza's jersey and takes Farhan's instead; Pakistan await in semi-final
Hamza Choudhury's debut as captain turned out to be a memorable one. He led from the front in the 4-0 win over Sri Lanka in the SAFF Championship match at the National Stadium. After the match he offered his jersey to Sri Lanka coach Abdullah Al Mutairi, but the opposing coach did not accept it.
The Sri Lankan coach spoke smilingly to journalists as he left the National Stadium, and mentioned Hamza in passing. He told reporters: 'Hamza told me, "Take my jersey." I said, "No, I will only take Farhan's jersey."'
As soon as the match ended, Farhan Ali Wahid handed his jersey to Mutairi. The coach was thoroughly impressed by the young Bangladeshi footballer's dazzling goal. After the match he told the media: 'I told him, "Keep playing like this. You will be SAFF's best player in the next 10 years." I hope we meet again one day. Very good.'
In the Sri Lankan coach's view, Farhan is set to become one of the finest footballers of the coming years. On his home debut, amid the roar of thousands in the gallery, Farhan Ali Wahid showed his class. His second-half goal in Bangladesh's 4-0 win over Sri Lanka was one to remember.
Mutairi, however, raised allegations of racism at the press conference after the 4-0 defeat. Following Sri Lanka's exit from the SAFF Championship, he accused the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) of racism, discrimination, bias and creating mental pressure. At the centre of his allegations is SAFF's head of legal affairs, Tanzim Ahmed Khan.
Asked about the refereeing, though, the Sri Lankan coach avoided the question. He said he had enjoyed the Bangladesh-Sri Lanka match: 'A very good match. Both teams played well.'
Earlier, after the 2-2 draw with Bhutan on November 8, he had expressed dissatisfaction with the refereeing. In his view, the result could have been different had there been a Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
Sri Lanka and Bhutan both finished with 1 point. But because the Sri Lankans lost by a big margin, Bhutan advanced to the semi-finals as Group B runners-up. Their opponents in the last four are Group A champions India.
Bangladesh went through as Group B champions with a full 6 points. Pakistan advanced as Group A runners-up.
The Bhutan-India semi-final will be played at the National Stadium at 3pm on November 14. In the second semi-final, starting at 8:30pm the same day, Bangladesh will face Pakistan.
Wearing the captain's armband for Bangladesh for the first time, Hamza Choudhury shone on the field. Leading from the front, a superb goal, an assist and holding the entire attack together — the star midfielder won the supporters' hearts in his very first test as captain.
