BFF sacks English coach Gerard Jones after two consecutive defeats

Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has removed English coach Gerard Jones from his duties after the Bangladesh team suffered two consecutive defeats in the AFC Under-20 Asian Cup qualifiers. He was informed of his dismissal via email late on Thursday night. BFF General Secretary Imran Hossain Tushar confirmed the matter.

In the qualifiers, Bangladesh lost to hosts Uzbekistan in their first match and failed to secure a win against Syria in the second. These two defeats have made the path to the main round difficult. In such a situation, BFF brought about a major change in the coaching staff.

Assistant coach Atikur Rahman Mishu will take charge of the team instead of Jones. He will be seen in Bangladesh's dugout in the final group match against India. That means the Under-20 team will take the field under a new coach before the crucial match.

However, sources said that Jones's departure was not only due to on-field results but also his behaviour. BFF was already dissatisfied with his various comments on social media. It was also learnt that his relationship with assistant coach Mishu was not good within the team.

The situation had become so complicated that BFF had planned to remove Jones after the group stage of the qualifiers. However, following the team's consecutive failures in Uzbekistan, that decision was not delayed any further.

Jones, who is in Tashkent, has been instructed to step down immediately. It has also been learnt that he has been asked to leave the team hotel. Now, under Mishu, Bangladesh will take the field against India in the final match to try and overcome the disappointment of the qualifiers.