The Bangladesh Football Federation’s (BFF) three-day program with expatriate footballers concluded with a warm-up match divided into two teams. After the match, as certificates were being handed out to participants at the national stadium, Bangladesh national team coach Javier Cabrera faced an uncomfortable situation when spectators booed him from the gallery.
Around a thousand spectators, including families and relatives of the expatriate footballers, attended the final day’s free-entry match. As Cabrera left the field, chants erupted accusing him of favoritism and syndication, with slogans like “Fake, fake, fake graves” and “No place for syndicates in our Sonar Bangla.” Despite the negativity, BFF Vice-President Sabbir Ahmed Arif downplayed the incident, saying such chanting, whether critical or joyful, reflects engagement with football.
The boos stem from ongoing discontent after Italy-based expatriate Fahamidul Islam was expelled from the conditioning camp in Saudi Arabia before the match against India in March, sparking accusations of syndication against Cabrera. The controversy escalated to the point that top sports administration advisor Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan intervened earlier this year.
