Topu Barman ruled out of ASEAN Cup squad due to injury
Bangladesh have confirmed their final 23 man squad for the FIFA ASEAN Cup in Indonesia, with head coach Thomas Dooley forced to leave out defender Topu Barman after a calf muscle injury ruled him out of contention.
The Bangladesh Football Federation announced the squad at around 11:45pm on Friday, with Topu missing out despite having scored both goals in a historic 2-1 win over San Marino in June, Bangladesh's first ever victory on European soil.
Dooley had reportedly waited until the final moment before making a decision on Topu, who had struggled with a minor muscle issue from early in the buildup and was unable to train fully alongside the rest of the squad in Dhaka.
An MRI scan eventually confirmed the extent of the problem, with doctors advising he would need at least another two weeks before returning to full training, a timeline that ultimately made his inclusion too risky for the coaching staff.
With the upcoming SAFF Championship considered a greater long term priority than the ASEAN Cup, the team management opted against gambling on Topu's fitness, choosing instead to protect him for the more significant tournament ahead.
Rather than bringing in a like for like replacement at the back, Dooley opted to add forward Shahriar Emon to the squad instead, leaving Tariq Kazi, Rahmat Mia and Saad Uddin to shoulder greater responsibility across Bangladesh's defensive line.
Elsewhere in the squad, centre back Monjurur Rahman earns a recall to the national side for the first time since his debut against Sri Lanka in 2018. Among the overseas based trialists, Shuki Itofusa and Zidan Yousuf secured places in the final squad, while Yasar Tahmid and Debajit Sarkar had already been dropped earlier in the camp.
Meanwhile, Hamza Chowdhury, Shamit Shome and Farhan Ali Wahid will bypass the Dhaka camp entirely, instead joining the rest of the squad directly in Indonesia on September 21.
Jamal Bhuyan and Shekh Morsalin are set to line up alongside Hamza and Shamit in what looks a well balanced midfield combining local experience with expatriate talent for Dooley's first major tournament in charge.
Bangladesh depart for Indonesia on Saturday ahead of the tournament, which begins for the first time on September 24 and will be jointly hosted by Indonesia and Hong Kong. The squad have been drawn into Group A of Division 1 alongside hosts Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
Dooley's side open their campaign against Malaysia on September 25, before facing Singapore on September 28 and closing out the group stage against Indonesia on October 1, with all three matches scheduled to take place at Jakarta's Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.