Dooley welcomes ASEAN Cup opportunity but seeks clarity

National men’s football team head coach Thomas Dooley has welcomed Bangladesh’s late opportunity to join the FIFA ASEAN Cup but wants the uncertainty over their participation resolved quickly so he can plan for the September-October international window.

Bangladesh received the opening after India withdrew from the tournament to prioritise its October 3 friendly against Brazil in Kolkata. The BFF’s National Teams Committee then unanimously agreed on Friday to accept the invitation.

“Of course, we would like to play there. We also have an option to play in Kyrgyzstan, but it’s going to be very difficult,” Dooley said.

“We have an option to play in the Asean Cup, but it’s not put in stone yet,” he added.

The BFF had separately contacted ASEAN to express interest in taking part if a place became available. India’s withdrawal subsequently created the vacancy, prompting the invitation to Bangladesh.

“We would like to play, of course. And they would like to have us over there, that is also very nice. But it’s not official,” Dooley said.

The coach sees the tournament as valuable preparation for the SAFF Championship, with stronger opponents offering Bangladesh a chance to identify weaknesses before the regional tournament.

“It’s in our neighbourhood. Ahead of us are very strong teams where you can actually find out about mistakes we do and we can learn from those mistakes,” he said.

“It’s a very important tournament, would be a very tough-fought tournament. Hopefully it will happen,” Dooley added.

He is nevertheless prepared for an alternative if the ASEAN Cup does not materialise.

“If it doesn’t happen then we have to create our own tournament,” Dooley said. “We also have teams lined up who would like to come over but things take time.”

“We hope we find out tomorrow, or maybe day after tomorrow, as soon as possible then we can prepare,” he added.