Bangladesh Under-20 head coach Gerard Jones has refuted media reports of being sacked from his position, labelling it ‘fake news’ on a social media post on Tuesday.
“FAKE NEWS. I am still in a job. Had confirmation from BFF. Please verify sources. Fake news doesn’t help team,” he posted on his official Facebook page.
“This is another level of crazy. Let’s make sure we put Bangladesh football in the best possible light. No drama. No crazy. We are working hard. United, brave and relentless,” he added.
Earlier in the day, several local media reported that the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) had sacked Jones a day before the team was due to depart for Uzbekistan to play in the AFC U20 Asian Cup qualifiers.
The BFF is yet to officially address this matter.
This past Wednesday, Jones reportedly had a physical altercation with assistant coach Atiqur Rahman Mishu at the team hotel, and had called the police via the 999 emergency line.
Reports had also suggested that he had clashed with Spanish goalkeeping coach Jose Martinez at the team's Jashore base.
On Monday night, Jones directly addressed those reports in a statement posted on social media, denying any issue with his goalkeeping staff.
"I have no issue whatsoever with our goalkeeping coaches. José and Himel have been outstanding. We work closely together, both on and off the field, and our collaboration has been excellent," he wrote.
I was recently involved in a serious incident at work in which I sustained physical injuries from an assault, and had to defend myself. I have formally documented what occurred, with independent witnesses and have shared evidence relating to the incident with the BFF, the police and the British Police and British Embassy.Gerard Jones, former Bangladesh U20 head coach
He said he had instead been assaulted at work and had documented the incident with independent witnesses.
"I was recently involved in a serious incident at work in which I sustained physical injuries from an assault, and had to defend myself. I have formally documented what occurred, with independent witnesses and have shared evidence relating to the incident with the BFF, the police and the British Police and British Embassy."
"More importantly, I have raised genuine concerns about my personal safety and have repeatedly asked for help. Those concerns remain," Jones said.
Bangladesh U20 are still scheduled to travel to Uzbekistan on Wednesday, with the AFC U20 Asian Cup qualifiers beginning on August 31. The BFF had signed Jones to a two-year contract in June.