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Since his debut for the national team in 2013, Jamal Bhuyan has become a household name in Bangladesh football. From being hailed as the best defensive midfielder in South Asia to becoming the captain of Bangladesh, Jamal has gone through an immense journey in the past eight years. Speaking to The Business Post's Shams Rahman, Jamal opened up about the country’s footballing structure, recent performances and what Bangladesh need to do to excel. Here are the excerpts
How do you evaluate Bangladesh’s recent performances in the World Cup qualifiers?
I was disappointed with our ball possession. We should be better with the ball, making sure to keep the ball. Have it for more time, not lose it so quickly. That is the only negative from those matches. Otherwise, the results were pretty good.
Bangladesh have qualified for the next round of the Asian Cup qualifiers. What will be your goal there?
The target obviously is to win, and hopefully, we can qualify for the big stage.
More and more players like you, who have grown up abroad, are joining the national team. Do you believe this is the way to go forward?
Yes, definitely. Most big teams in the world have players of foreign origins. Belgium have Lukaku. You can see the France team, where most of them are foreigners. The big sides are doing it, so yes, I think it will help us very much. Even if you took at Qatar, a lot of them are foreigners.
Eleta Kingsley has received his Bangladeshi passport. Do you think he will be a good addition to your side?
Yes, I think it’s good that Eleta got his passport. Now he needs to have some game time for his club so that he is fit and can join the national side in the future.
Are Bangladesh on par with teams like India, Oman, considering their infrastructure?
I think it’s going to be difficult because they are financially stronger than Bangladesh. The way they have set up their teams, they are way more advanced than Bangladesh.
Are you comfortable with Bangladesh’s playing style?
Whatever the coach says, I try to do that by adapting. I have one coach in my club, one in the national team. I am adapting to the style that the coach is making us play.
What do you think will help Bangladesh to have a more dynamic playing style?
Well, I think it depends on the players. Which player plays, how they play.
Do you think the league in Bangladesh is competitive enough to prepare the players for a higher form of competition?
I think the league has become stronger over the years. There are more competitors now. A few years back, there was only a couple of teams competing. Now there are five or six who can compete for the top three. That is good. But I think there should be ten competitive teams, and they should compete for the top three. Now everybody knows that nobody can beat Kings cause financially, they are much stronger than anybody else.
Do you think Bangladesh are producing enough talented players to compete at the international level?
To produce good players, you have to prepare them from a really young age. It has to start from there. Then prepare them for 10-12 years to compete at the highest level.
Do you think the BFF should set up more academies to bring up young prospects?
I think they are trying, with their grassroots program in Sylhet and making these trials for young players. I do not know all about the system, but that is a good start.
Do the clubs need to step forward and make academies to produce and nurture young talents?
Yes, but it is hard for the clubs. Only three clubs have their own pitch- Kings, Sheikh Jamal and Abahani. The others do not even have a practice pitch of their own. So it is pretty difficult for them. Even if you look at the league table, those clubs stay top of the table. As they lack facilities, it is hard for the clubs to build academies.
