Bangladesh to not send men's football team to Asian Games

Bangladesh national men's football team will not be participating at the upcoming Asian Games in China, the decision was announced at the meeting of Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) on Thursday.

AK Sarkar, Bangladesh's chef de mission and BOA treasurer, told The Daily Star today, "The decision to send 17 teams at the [Asian] Games still stands, with the addition of boxing."

However, the national women's team did not face the same fate as Jamal Bhuiyan and Co. Asked what was the reason behind barring the men's team, Sarkar informed that "the decision was based on the performance of the boys", adding that the members of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) were also present during the meeting.   

In the last edition of the Asian Games in 2018, the men in red and green reached the second round after upsetting Qatar.

Originally scheduled to take place last year, COVID-19 upsurge had forced the event to be postponed. The 19th edition of the Asian Games was later scheduled to take place from 23 September to 8 October this year.