U20 coach Jones absent from presser, squad to leave for Asian Cup Qualifiers tonight

The Bangladesh Under-20 men’s football team held a press conference on Thursday before the team’s departure to Uzbekistan for the AFC Under-20 Asian Cup qualifiers, with neither head coach Gerard Jones, nor the players appearing in it.

In the press conference held at the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) headquarters in Dhaka, team manager Samid Kashem was the lone representative of the team.

The press conference was originally scheduled for last Tuesday before being postponed, following reports of Jones getting sacked by the BFF.

But Jones later termed the reports ‘Fake News’ as said he is still the head coach of the U20 team.

Asked why neither coaches nor players were made available, Kashem said, “Since an incident has occurred, an investigation into it is also underway. In this situation, we did not want to put the coaches in front of the media."

The controversy stems from an altercation on last Wednesday, when Jones was reportedlt involved in a scuffle with assistant coach Atiqur Rahman Mishu at the team hotel following a heated exchange.

The BFF's development committee is investigating the matter, with both coaches facing possible sanctions if the allegations are proven.

Jones had also posted on Facebook on August 10 alleging unpaid wages and raising security concerns.

Bangladesh, grouped with hosts Uzbekistan, India and Syria, begin their qualifying campaign on August 31.