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The Bangladesh national football team’s head coach Jamie Day on Tuesday picked up a 23-member final squad for the upcoming three-nation cup in Kyrgyzstan with France-born Bangladeshi midfielder Tahmid Islam and Canadian-born Bangladeshi forward Rahbar Wahed Khan are the two new expatriates footballers in the squad.
Rahbar and Tahmid are the third and fourth expatriate footballers picked up for the Bangladesh national team. Earlier, Denmark-born expatriate midfielder Jamal Bhuiyan made his debut in 2013 for the national football team while Finland expatriate defender Kazi Tariq Raihan made his debut in this FIFA World Cup qualifier in June.
The Toronto-based 25-year-old forward Rahbar Wahed Khan plays for semi-professional side North Toronto Nitros and 18-year-old midfielder Tahmid Islam plays for French fifth division side USAA Vertou.
Uttar Baridhara Club’s goalkeeper Mitul Marma is another surprise inclusion of the remaining twenty-one members of the squad.
The national football team will go to Kyrgyzstan to play three preparation matches against Palestine, Kyrgyzstan and the host U-23 team as a part of preparation ahead of the SAFF Championship.
Bangladesh will play their first match against Palestine on September 5, meet Kyrgyzstan on September 7 in the second match and will play the final match against the host U-23 team on September 9.
Squad: Anisur Rahman, Bishwanath Ghosh, Topu Barman, Tariq Raihan Kazi, Masuk Miah Zoni, Biplo Ahamed, Mahbubur Rahman, Mohammad Ibrahim, Matin Miah, Rahmat Mia, Riyadul Hasan, Yeasin Arafat, Jamal Bhuyan, Sahidul Alam, Sohel Rana, Saad Uddin, Razaul Karim, Rakib Hossain, Mehedi Hasan, Mohammad Atikuzzaman, Mitul Marma, Nayb Tahmid Islam and Rahbar Wahed Khan
