Bangladesh national football team will face the Seychelles test when they will play the first off two FIFA Friendly (Tier One) matches today at the Sylhet District Stadium.
Both the teams are ready to take on each other after a decade when they faced last in 2021 in a four-nation tournament in Sri Lanka in a tournament and the match was one all draw.
It is the second time visit of Seychelles in Bangladesh when they also came here to play the Bangabandhu Gold Cup in 2020 but as they were drawn in the different group could not meet each other.
There will be an attraction for Bangladesh football fans that Nigeria born Bangladeshi citizen Eleta Kingsley probably to make his debut today against Seychelles when the forward has been eagerly waiting to play for Bangladesh national team.
However, Seychelles, who arrived here in Dhaka on Wednesday (March 22), went Sylhet at the same day and had some practice sessions in last three days when the hosts team also returned from Saudi Arabia having a weeklong conditioning camp.
Bangladesh, during their conditioning camp in Saudi Arabia also played two practice matches, one was against Madina Club and another was Malawi, a southeastern African country and drew the match by 1-1.
Bangladesh team also well prepared to take on the Seychells as their Spanish coach told in a press meet on Friday, as they are in Sylhet for a last one week and also had some practice sessions.
Javier Fernandez Cabrera, head coach of Bangaldesh, whohave been with the team for last one year could wion only one match is very much sereous with the matches against Sechelles as he in the pre-match pressmeet on Friday said, “We want at least to make a winning start.”
Meanwhile, Eleta Kingsley, a Nigerian born Bangaladeshi, who has been eagerly waiting to play for Bangaldesh national team is highly excited, as he said, I have been waiting for this day when I will wearimg the Bangaldesh national team jersey. Not only me, my wife and kids also are waiting to watch me is playing with Bangaldehsi jersey.”
Eleta Kingsley got the Bangaldeshi citizenship more than a year but for different formalities of FIA and AFC could not play for Bangladesh.
A four-member referee’s team from Bhutan have also arrived in Dhaka on Friday whe they will conduct the match, according to new FIFA rules referees from neutral country will conduct any FIFA matches when in the past host country’s referees used to conduct matches but the duty of referees’ assessor and match commissioner will be performed by the host contry.