Dooley wants Bangladeshi children dreaming of facing Argentina and Brazil, not supporting them

Bangladesh national team head coach Thomas Dooley wants to change how the country views football, urging children to dream beyond supporting Argentina or Brazil and instead aspire to become players who can one day take on those giants themselves.

“We would love to have the kids not want to be a fan of Argentina. They want to be a player to play against Argentina, against Brazil,” Dooley told The Guardian.

The former United States men's national team captain was born to an American serviceman and grew up in Germany, where he also played football.

His playing career eventually took him to the US national team, while much of his coaching career later unfolded across Southeast Asia.

It was during that coaching journey that Dooley became familiar with Bangladesh's reputation as a country obsessed with football.

Now in charge of the senior national team, he believes the extraordinary passion surrounding the sport needs to be redirected towards developing players and building a stronger football ecosystem.

“We are a country of being fans. We need to change that. We need to be a country of playing football,” Dooley said. “That’s what we need to be, and we need to find a way to do that.”

Bangladesh's football culture has long been shaped by passionate support for major South American teams, particularly Argentina and Brazil. Dooley does not want that enthusiasm to disappear.

Instead, he wants it to become a source of motivation for children to participate in the sport and eventually represent Bangladesh.

His ambition goes beyond producing a more competitive senior side. Dooley sees national-team success as the starting point for generating greater interest, sponsorship and investment, which could eventually strengthen youth academies, domestic competitions and the wider football structure.

One of the quickest ways to raise Bangladesh's level, according to Dooley, is by identifying eligible players abroad.

His experience in the Philippines exposed him to resistance towards foreign-born recruits, but he remains firmly supportive of players with Bangladeshi heritage choosing to represent the country.

The arrival of Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury has strengthened his belief that overseas-based players can contribute more than their ability on the pitch.

Dooley has particularly admired Hamza's leadership and humility, qualities he believes domestic players can learn from.

“Everybody was happy that Hamza came in, and they understand, the players understand that international players can help them because they can look up to them,” Dooley said.

“What kind of attitude they have, the work ethic that they bring in. So everything, they can look up to them, how they handle stuff.”

The search for eligible players has already produced several possibilities. Dooley said he is receiving “thousands” of messages from players interested in joining Bangladesh, but he stressed that recruitment must remain selective because the federation cannot afford to spend money on players who will not improve the squad.

“It’s not everybody who sends a picture of a free kick that he does is a good player, or maybe can help us. We have good players in this country over here too that we can actually afford,” he said.

His approach is therefore based on value rather than simply adding foreign-based names.

Dooley does not want Bangladesh to spend $2,000 or $3,000 bringing in a player who then sits on the bench, arguing that the same money could instead support local players through intensive training camps.

“So if the players who are coming over are the ones that really can help us, otherwise we’re using that money and putting all the local players in the camp and train them twice a day for two weeks, and you will see that they’re getting much, much better,” he said.

Dooley views Bangladesh's rise towards the Asian Cup in which the men's team appeared at only once, in 1980 and World Cup as a gradual project, although he believes progress does not necessarily have to take years.

He has already identified Fulham academy winger Farhaan Wahid, 19, and Louie Watson, a 25-year-old attacking midfielder in England's fourth tier, as players who could strengthen his plans.

Hamza Choudhury and Canada-born Shamit Shome, now with New York Cosmos, are among the key figures he wants to build around, while improving the goalkeeping department is another priority.

The immediate test will come in November, when Bangladesh host the senior SAFF Championship. The tournament is particularly significant for Dooley, with Bangladesh having lifted the trophy only once, on home soil in 2003.

Once that challenge is over, the American wants to devote greater attention to the country's domestic game and create a sustainable pathway from youth football to the senior level.

For Dooley, progress at international level and development at home must move together. A stronger national team can generate greater public interest and attract sponsors and investment, while those resources can then be channelled into academies, leagues and a wider player-development system.