After more than a year, Bangladesh’s head coach Javier Cabrera has called up forward Suman Reza back into the squad.
As expected, Cabrera announced the preliminary squad keeping three expatriates — Hamza Chowdhury, Samit Som, and Fahamidul Islam. Ahead of upcoming matches against Bhutan and Singapore, the camp will start soon, with Suman Reza joining after a long absence.
Bangladesh will play a friendly against Bhutan at Dhaka’s National Stadium on June 4, followed by the third round of Asian Cup qualifiers against Singapore on June 10. Cabrera’s camp begins Friday to prepare the team.
The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) confirmed a 26-member preliminary squad on Wednesday. Cabrera will finalize a 23-player team after assessing preparations in the camp before the Bhutan game.
Among the newcomers in the squad is Samit, who plays in the Canadian league and is set to return to Dhaka on June 4 morning. Hamza’s return date from England is still uncertain.
Fahamidul, an 18-year-old forward playing in Italy’s Serie D, arrived back in Dhaka Wednesday morning and joined the team hotel. Cabrera will have him with the squad from the start of the camp.
Cabrera had previously called Fahamidul for the camp in Saudi Arabia ahead of the India match in March. Fahamidul joined the teammates but eventually had to return to Italy before the camp ended.
His early return sparked controversy, with rumors that an internal “syndicate” within the team prevented Cabrera from including him fully.
Zahid Hasan Shanto was part of the preliminary squad before the India match in March but was dropped before the camp started. This time, Zahid gets a chance to prove himself in the camp.
Since the match against Palestine in March 2024, Suman Reza has been absent from the national team. However, after scoring three goals for Abahani, who currently sit second in the league, Cabrera has brought him back.
Chandan Roy, Sohel Rana Jr., and Shakil Hossain were excluded from the preliminary squad announced for this camp, having missed out on the India match squad in March.
Preliminary Squad
Mitul Marma, Sujan Hossain, Mehedi Hasan Shrabon, Shakil Ahad Topu, Zahid Hasan Shanto, Rahmat Mia, Isa Faisal, Taj Uddin, Kazi Tarik Raihan, Topu Barman, Sad Uddin, Mohammad Hriday, Kazem Shah Kirmani, Sohel Rana, Mojibur Rahman Joni, Sheikh Morsalin, Jamal Bhuiyan, Hamza Chowdhury, Samit Som, Fahamidul Islam, Faisal Ahmed Fahim, Rakib Hossain, Shahriar Emon, Mohammad Ibrahim, Al Amin, and Suman Reza.
