Twenty-three years on, one header still defines Bangladesh’s finest hour in football. In 2003, Rokunuzzaman Kanchan scored the crucial 77th-minute opener against India in the semifinal, then found the net again in the final to make it 1-1 as Bangladesh beat the Maldives on penalties for their first and only SAFF Championship. He helped guide the side to the runners-up spot in Pakistan in 2005 and remains the only Bangladeshi to score in a SAFF final. Yet the trophy has not returned. 

In an exclusive interview with Daily Waadaa, the former national forward spoke about the state, the crisis, and the potential of Bangladesh football, and about the upcoming SAFF Championship.

Daily Waadaa: The goal you scored in the 2003 SAFF Championship final is still etched in the minds of football lovers. How did you score it, and how difficult was the situation?

Rokunuzzaman Kanchan: Our aim was to become SAFF champions. As Bangladeshis, we had one dream, to win the title, and the road to that goal was not easy.

The goal in the final came from a corner. Arman Mia took it, and I scored with a header from the ball he whipped in. 

In football, you sometimes cannot score even from a very easy chance in front of goal. Yet for that ball, I had to leap seven or eight feet to head it, and that header produced the goal. It was chosen as South Asia’s goal of the month during the SAFF tournament.

DW: What do you think contributed most to that goal?

RK: It was the result of my parents’ blessings and the love of the people of the country. About 50,000 to 60,000 spectators had come to the stadium, and countless more were outside. A different kind of excitement, a wave, had built up around Bangladesh football at that time.

I believe the support of the people and my parents’ blessings brought me that success. Our players also gave everything. We all wanted to bring the SAFF trophy to Bangladesh by any means, and we played the whole tournament with that goal.

DW: After winning the SAFF title in 2003, expectations for the country’s football rose. It seemed the success would bring big changes. But Bangladesh have not become SAFF champions in men’s football since. What do you think is the main reason?

RK: I think the main reason is a lack of planning. Our football federation has no effective academy. What exists is largely nominal. If an effort is made to find talented players in every district, I believe many good players can be found. Using our former national team players, 10 talented players could be picked from each district. Just think how many players we would get from 64 districts. If these players are developed through planned coaching and an academy system, producing at least 20 quality players from them is not impossible.

Some initiatives are being attempted now under the new coach, and I hope they succeed. But we must give it at least five years to get good results. If we work in a planned way, we will start getting quality players after five years. To overcome the current poor state of football, long-term initiatives like this are essential.

DW: So can we say that a lack of long-term planning and continuous preparation is one of the main reasons Bangladesh have not become SAFF champions again?

RK: It keeps coming back to the same thing. Here, whenever a tournament approaches, practice starts a month before. How can you expect good results from one or two months of practice?

Take our 2003 team. We played together for three or four years, so we had a good understanding among ourselves. After 2003, we were runners-up at the next SAFF tournament in Pakistan in 2005. I think we should have been champions in that tournament too.

A team must have a clear goal and practise together for a long time with that goal in mind. You cannot get good results by suddenly bringing a player from abroad and adding him to the team. A new player takes time to settle in with the local players.

DW: Does suddenly including expatriate players in particular cause problems with team coordination?

RK: Certainly. They may be good players, but it is important to build an understanding with the local players. They must train together and develop match fitness and tactical coordination. It is hard to build a good understanding by bringing someone into the team one or two weeks earlier. I am not blaming anyone. The point is the team’s combination. Understanding and coordination within a team are very important.

DW: How do you see Bangladesh’s chances in the upcoming tournament? Personally, what do you expect from the team’s performance?

RK: To answer that, we first have to compare the players of our time with the current players. In our time, each of us tried to give our best in our own position. In the striker position especially, we had good competition. I played, Alfaz (Alfaz Ahmed) played, Emily (Zahid Hasan Ameli) played, Farhad (Ariful Kabir Farhad) played. Everyone tried to give their best from their own spot.

DW: But the current national team doesn’t really have a proven striker…

RK: In our time, there was good competition for the striker position. Whoever got a chance tried to play with everything they had. Another thing is that today’s players get a lot of facilities, whereas in our time we did not even get torn boots. If we had even got those torn boots, perhaps we could have done better. I think the current team’s players are certainly good as well. I would never say they are bad players. But alongside being good players, they must also carry out their responsibilities properly. Then good results are possible. In whatever position we played, we tried to fulfil our responsibilities.

DW: In your view, is there a shortfall in the sense of responsibility among current players?

RK: Look, many players now are playing just to play. But to play for the national team, you must understand your responsibility. You will blame the coach, you will blame the officials, but you have some responsibilities of your own too. A player’s responsibility is to give his best for the country. It does not matter what the country gave me or did not give me. What matters most is what I was able to give my country.

DW: If Bangladesh fail to perform as expected even with a player like Hamza Choudhury, who has played in the English Premier League, would that be even more disappointing?

RK: Of course. If a player like Hamza had been in the team in our time, our side would have done even better. I hope the SAFF trophy stays in Bangladesh under Hamza’s leadership. If they can play as a team, something good will happen. They must believe in themselves.