BFF sends letter to Leicester City for Hamza

During the September FIFA window, Bangladesh’s national football team will visit Nepal for two friendly matches. Training camp kicked off on Wednesday with just five players, while the rest are expected to join within two to three days. Although no official announcement has been made, coach Javier Cabrera has named a 24-man preliminary squad that includes Hamza Choudhury. His participation is not yet confirmed, and Canada-based Shamit Shome has been left out as his club declined to release him. Bangladesh will play Nepal in Kathmandu on September 6 and 9.

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has formally requested Leicester City to release Hamza Choudhury for the upcoming friendlies. National team manager Amer Khan told the media on Wednesday, “Hamza is on the coach’s 24-man preliminary list. We have already written to Leicester City, and discussions are ongoing to bring him in September.”

Choudhury is currently in pre-season training with Leicester. As the club plays in the second tier of English football, it is likely they will have no matches in September. Although he has not been a regular in the squad lately, he captained Leicester in last night’s match and scored a superb goal, despite the team falling short of victory.

Overall, BFF is hopeful about getting Hamza Choudhury, but they have no hope of getting Shamit, so he has not been included in the squad. Shamit’s Canadian club Cavalry has league matches on September 6 and 14, the same time as Bangladesh’s matches, so BFF has not communicated with the club about releasing him.

In October, Bangladesh will face Hong Kong in the Asian Cup qualifiers. The friendly matches against Nepal are part of preparations for that. The camp started on Wednesday with only five players, raising some questions. Abahani players, who are playing in the AFC Challenge League, will join today, and Bashundhara Kings players will join tomorrow.

Manager Amer Khan said, “Jamal has asked the federation for one more day. The coach called the players to camp so they can work on gym and fitness training.”