Three Bangladeshi hockey players had been invited to participate in Sri Lanka's domestic franchise tournament, commencing on September 6th. In response to the invitation, the Bangladesh Hockey Federation (BHF) expressed no objection to allowing Russell Mahmud Jimmy, Farhad Ahmed Shitul, and Khorshedur Rahman to play in Sri Lanka.
However, these three players were unable to obtain permission from their own organisation, the Bangladesh Navy. As a result, despite the opportunity, they were unable to participate in the Sri Lankan tournament.
Ariful Haque (Prince), the BHF's Joint Secretary, stated, "We informed the Bangladesh Navy about the invitation extended to these three players. However, they cited the current situation in the country as reason for denying permission. The three players were therefore unable to travel to Sri Lanka."
Meanwhile, Ariful Haque disclosed that 12 Bangladeshi players had received invitations to participate in the European domestic hockey league. Six of these invitations were from German clubs, while three were from Spanish and Dutch clubs. Among the notable names included in the invitations were Russell Mahmud, Rezaul Karim, Sohanur Rahman, Naeem Uddin, Biplab Kujur, Shubo Al Nahin, and Abed Uddin.
The German coach of the Bangladesh national team, Peter Gerhard, had collected these invitations and forwarded them to the players. Bangladeshi hockey players had previously had the opportunity to play in Europe in 2009 and again in 2016. After a brief hiatus, the opportunity arose once more in 2018, thanks to Peter's initiative. However, until now, the players have not been granted permission to play for European clubs.
In this context, Ariful Haque remarked, "I have informed the federation's policymakers about the invitations extended to 12 players to play in Europe. However, I have been instructed not to proceed with the matter. Nevertheless, I believe that this opportunity should be allowed. The players would not require any financial assistance; in fact, they would earn money by playing. Moreover, there are no upcoming matches for the senior team. I have also suggested that there is no need for any officials to accompany the players. I simply want the players to be allowed to participate. I believe that if they miss this opportunity, they may not be invited again in the future."
In related news, the national hockey team had planned to travel to Germany for a two-month training camp this month. However, the tour was cancelled following the change of government on August 5th, due to the controversial inclusion of Ismail Chowdhury Samrat, a Jubo League leader unrelated to hockey, as the team manager. Another controversial Jubo League leader, Mominul Haque Saeed, the General Secretary of the BHF, had been appointed as the team leader for the tour. Following the political change in the country, Mominul is now on the run.
