Unwell Peter Butler flies to England for treatment, women’s squad head to Chattogram camp without him

Peter Butler, head coach of the Bangladesh women’s football team, flew to England late on Thursday for medical treatment, leaving his squad to begin a residential camp in Chattogram without him.

He is unwell, and no return date has been set.

Reports suggest Butler was reluctant to leave at first, with Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) sources saying he was eventually persuaded to go home for treatment. He will return to Dhaka once treatment ends.

Timing of that return is the open question. It depends on his recovery, and his BFF contract runs out in December, only two months away, so it is unclear whether he will sit in the Bangladesh dugout again before the deal ends.

The squad of 42 players, ranging from senior veterans to Under-17 prospects, left by road in two buses on Friday. The group will train at the Korean Export Processing Zone in Anwara, Chattogram, in a residential camp arranged by the federation.

The camp prepares the team for two FIFA friendlies against Singapore in the first week of December, also arranged by the BFF. Bangladesh have beaten Singapore in both previous meetings, winning 3-0 and 8-0 in friendlies in December 2023, also played in Dhaka.

Preparing without their head coach leaves the Bangladesh women’s squad in an uncertain position before those fixtures.