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A photo of Bangladesh footballers Sad Uddin and Sohel Rana Jr with a woman in a nightclub-like setting has sparked discussion in the country’s football community following Bangladesh’s 9-2 defeat to Indonesia.
The photo, which has circulated widely on social media, was posted by an Indonesian woman named Elena. In her post, she claimed that she had met several Bangladesh footballers in Jakarta and that they had invited her to watch the Bangladesh-Indonesia match.
Sad Uddin and Sohel Rana, however, said the photo was not taken in Indonesia. According to them, they travelled to Nepal during their free time after joining Mohammedan Sporting Club and before the national team camp began. They said they met Elena at a club there.
“I met her in Nepal. After arriving in Jakarta, I invited her to watch the match, but she did not come,” Sad said.
Sohel Rana expressed regret over the incident and said what happened was not appropriate.
There are differences between the players’ accounts and the claims made in Elena’s social media post regarding the location and timing of the photo. As a result, it could not be independently confirmed whether the photo was taken in Jakarta before or after the match.
Earlier, team manager Amirul Islam Babu said players had been instructed to return to their rooms after dinner following the Indonesia match. He said he was unaware whether anyone had gone out in violation of the instruction.
“After dinner, the players went to sleep. We cannot stand outside their doors all night,” he said, adding that the disciplinary committee would take action if anyone was found to have violated team rules.
Bangladesh’s performance on the field was also disappointing. They ended their ASEAN Cup campaign with a 9-2 defeat to Indonesia, their third loss in three matches. They had earlier lost 3-0 to Malaysia and 1-0 to Singapore.
For Sad Uddin, this is not the first disciplinary controversy. He was previously suspended after an incident in which he pushed a match commissioner.
The latest controversy has renewed discussion over the conduct and discipline of national team players.