Out of nowhere a big change took place in Bangladesh’s football. The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) relieved national team head coach Jamie Day of his duties just 15 days before the SAFF Championship. The decision was taken at a meeting of the National Teams Committee on Friday.
Oscar Bruzon, the Spanish coach of Bangladesh Premier League champions Bashundhara Kings, has been given interim responsibility for the next two months. Oscar will handle Jamal Bhuyan and Co.’s dugout in the SAFF Championship, AFC U-23 Asian Championship qualifiers and a four-nation tournament in Sri Lanka in November.
Changes have also been made in team management. Satyajit Das Rupu has been brought back as the manager again. It has not been decided yet who more will be in the coaching staff. Oscar has been chosen from among those who have served in Bangladesh Premier League clubs as it is difficult to find a new foreign coach in such a short period of time.
Mohammedan had Australian coach Shaun Lane, Portuguese Mario Lames is at the helm of Abahani. They have also shown good success in domestic football. So why Oscar was the man BFF went for?
At the NTC meeting, senior BFF officials discussed Oscar’s experience working with footballers from different countries and his overall experience, has played a key role in his appointment as the new head coach of the national team.
Kazi Nabil Ahmed, vice-president of BFF and chairman of the National Teams Committee, explained, "In last three seasons, Oscar was the most successful coach in domestic football. He knows the footballers of Bangladesh well. We have decided to appoint him after considering everything.”
Bashundhara Kings has a majority of players in the national team. It also played an important role in the Oscar’s selection. Under Oscar, Bashundhara Kings have won two Premier Leagues, two Federation Cups and one Independence Cup. Although the success of the Oscar in the AFC Cup is not that great, he is still the best coach in domestic football.
Oscar, 44, has been with Bashundhara since 2018. He has previously worked with Mumbai City FC in India and New Radiant in the Maldives. He also has experience coaching in his home country of Spain. In addition to being in charge of Celta Vigo's youth team, he has been seen in the role of assistant coach of Majorca.
Oscar will be the coach of Bangladesh in two more competitions after the SAFF Championship. The AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers will run from October 22 to 30. Then in November, a four-nation tournament will be held on Sri Lankan soil.
Kazi Nabil further said that even if he is released for two months, Jamie Day will get salary and allowance as per the contract at this time. He has a current contract with BFF until August 2022. He took charge of the Bangladesh team in June 2018.