‘We will fight with everything we have to play the SAFF final’
Jamal Bhuiyan has been the captain of the Bangladesh football team for five years. But under coach Javier Cabrera, Jamal is being substituted in many matches at around the one hour mark and is also playing out of position. Jamal’s clearly not happy with all of this. However, he is keeping his discontent concealed as the only thing he is focusing on right now is Bangladesh’s semifinal bout against Kuwait at 3:30pm today (Saturday) at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, India. A victory will take them to the final and a defeat will end their campaign. In a conversation with Prothom Alo over the phone, Jamal said that he wants to make this SAFF Championship a memorable one by taking Bangladesh to the final–
Bangladesh have reached the semifinal of the SAFF Championship after 14 years under your leadership. Realistically, what are Bangladesh’s chances against Kuwait in the semifinal?
There is definitely a chance. We are playing the semifinal to play the final, right? If we want to play the final, all of us will have to play well. We need to realise that we are one step away from the final. Our coach said, we didn’t come to SAFF to just participate. We are here to achieve something, to do something great.
The footballers are tired after playing three matches in the SAFF. What is the team’s mental state before the semifinal?
Everyone is in a good state of mind. Everyone is feeling confident, which is a good sign. But we can’t be over-confident, we all know that it won’t be good for us. Everyone is trying hard to make it to the final. But we all have a tremendous amount of respect for Kuwait. Because they are quite ahead of us.
In which areas are Kuwait ahead?
Like Lebanon, they are physically quite strong, their players are also quite tall. Their team organisation is good and that’s why they play really well. Kuwait’s standard is much higher than the Maldives and Bhutan. So, a tough match awaits us.
Do you think you can cause an upset?
We know that the people of Bangladesh are looking forward to the match against Kuwait. With that in mind, I’ll say that we have a lot of responsibility on our shoulders. We want to fulfil those responsibilities. Look, when we left the country for the SAFF Championship, nobody expected anything from us. But the situation has now changed. We have played good football at the SAFF. That has created a sense of expectation from us. I’m not surprised by that. We have to believe in ourselves. If we can make it to the final it will have a positive impact on our country’s football. So, we will fight with everything we have.
What could be the team’s strategy in the final against Kuwait?
Kuwait are very strong in the attacking third. So, we have to stop their attacks. At the same time, we also need to play attacking football. We have to play our game. We have to pay attention on not conceding any goals. We have to focus on how we will defend our goal post.
Let’s focus on you for a moment. Are you happy with the way you have been playing?
I’ve been playing well enough. But I’m playing in a different position in every match and there’s nothing to do about that. I’m playing for the team.
In domestic football, you play as a defensive midfielder. At SAFF, the coach is using you higher up the field. You are having to play a role at the attacking third…
Every player has a favourite position. I also have one. But we are playing in a tournament. One has to let go of his personal preferences in a tournament. I’m making that sacrifice.
Do you feel you are giving your best on the field?
Wherever the coach has asked me to play, I’ve been playing and have tried to do my best. The fans will decide how much I’ve succeeded.
Which position do you want to play in?
I’ve always played in the midfield. But in this tournament, I’ve played in different positions – in central midfield, higher up the field, on the right wing. I can’t just think about which position I want to play from an individualistic perspective. I’ll have to play wherever my team wants me to play.
In the first two matches at the SAFF, the coach took you off the field at around the 60th minute mark. You were similarly substituted at Sylhet against Seychelles in March. How are you taking such substitutions?
In the first couple of games at SAFF, I played for 60 minutes or so. Actually, everyone wants to play. Those who are on the bench also want to play. All of us are here to play. That’s the case for everyone, not just me.
The question that naturally arises is that are you holding any grudges against the coach’s decisions…
No, it’s not a matter of holding grudges. The coach has said, SAFF is a lengthy tournament. That’s why he substituted me. In the last match against Bhutan, I had asked to get substituted. Thinking about the semifinal, I told him to take me off. I wanted to conserve my energy for the semifinal. But the coach noticed that the other players were also tired. So, he didn’t take me off. The coach said, “You will play the entire match.” I said, fine. I’ll try to take to Bangladesh to the final to make this SAFF Championship a memorable one.
*This interview appeared in the online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ashfaq-Ul-Alam Niloy