FIFA bans Bangladesh forward Al-Amin for 15 matches for Maldives brawl: reports
FIFA has imposed a 15-match ban on Bangladesh forward Al-Amin after he pushed the referee during a brawl at a four-nation tournament in the Maldives in June, according to multiple reports.
It is the harshest ban handed to a Bangladeshi footballer in recent memory. The last comparable case was in 1989, when then-captain Ilias Hossain was banned for a year for assaulting a referee at the SAAF Games in Pakistan.
Bangladesh's national team typically plays no more than seven or eight matches a year, so the 15-match ban will effectively keep Al-Amin out of international football for around two years.
Al-Amin, from Nilphamari, played for Arambagh in the 2020-21 Bangladesh Football League. Arambagh were suspended over match-fixing allegations that year, and Al-Amin was among several players banned for a year as a result.
The incident in Maldives occurred during the Diamond Jubilee Football Tournament, held to mark 75 years of Maldivian football. On the night of June 7, Bangladesh's Olympic team faced hosts Maldives in a must-win match that descended into chaos.
Tensions rose over a string of contentious refereeing decisions before the match turned physical. Al-Amin and Mirajul Islam were both shown red cards, and the trouble spread from the pitch into the stands.
The flashpoint came in stoppage time. Maldives' Hassan Inaz fell in a challenge with Bangladesh's Piyash Ahmed, and referee Sekaran Senthilnathan awarded Maldives a free-kick, angering the Bangladesh players.
Mirajul Islam was shown a red card first after leaving the bench to protest. Al-Amin then received a red card for arguing fiercely with the referee, and pushed him after losing his temper.
Play resumed after the disruption, but tempers remained high. Maldives' Ibrahim Nasir and Bangladesh's Manjurur Rahman then clashed in a challenge near the Bangladesh box.
Players from both sides rushed in and a mass brawl broke out, spreading tension into the stands among Bangladeshi supporters. Coaching staff and officials eventually stepped in to restore order. The match finished 1-1.
The forward, who has played two matches for the national team, can still appeal.
The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has made no official statement so far.