De Kruif, Koster sacked

Bangladesh national football team's head coach Lodewijk de Kruif and assistant coach Rene Koster have been sacked, Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) president Kazi Salahuddin informed reporters at his office yesterday. The BFF president said that a meeting of the National Team's Committee (NTC) on Friday night took the decision as they felt there was a 'lack of sincerity' on the part of the coaches towards their job.
“The reason for sacking the coaches is their lack of sincerity. They have been in this job 16 (15-and-a- half in fact) months and during this time they have spent seven months on vacation. We pay them 20,000 euros per month and they keep vacationing back in Netherlands. It cannot go on.
De Kruif had recently, through interaction with a few reporters on social media, threatened that he would not return to Dhaka until his pending salaries were cleared and would lodge complaints against the BFF with FIFA. On Friday, the Dutchman informed BFF that he would go to Malaysia for a FIFA coaching course right after the national team's played two matches against Sri Lanka this month. From there he would go back to Netherlands again. This assertion proved to be the tipping point of a relationship which had been steadily on the decline over the issue of unpaid wages.
“During a meeting of the BFF executive committee two-and-a-half months ago, 98 per cent voted against keeping them in charge of the team. Yet I tried to keep them for the sake of the national team, but I think it was a mistake,” said a frustrated Salahuddin. “We have paid 12 months of salary so far. We have provided them with accommodation, cars and air tickets, but they do not seem to be satisfied. This nonsense had to stop.”  
Asked whether they have a strong case if the coaches go to FIFA, Salahuddin implied that the number of vacations days (210 days) enjoyed by the coaches and the facilities provided here would work in the BFF's favour.
“I often read in papers that the coached wanted to resign. Why didn't he? I was expecting he would. Since he didn't, you can realise that his case is not that strong,” said Salahuddin.
Salahuddin informed that they would sit for a meeting of the NTC within the next 10-12 days to discuss appointing a new coach, preferably a foreign one, while BFF-appointed coach Saiful Bari Titu, who is currently conducting the national team's camp in BKSP, will guide the side during the two FIFA friendly matches against Sri Lanka on October 24 and 27 in Jessore and Rajshahi respectively.
De Kruif was supposed to arrive in Dhaka in the early hours today and hence could not be reached for a comment.  When contacted, Koster claimed that they did not receive any calls or messages from the BFF regarding their sacking. He however claimed that they worked with sincerity and wanted to do well with the national team, adding that they would demand two years' salaries in case of contract termination.
De Kruif and Koster were appointed on a two-year contract in July, 2013 and in their first assignment in September last year Bangladesh finished seventh out of eight teams in the SAFF Championship in Nepal. The national team then drew a one-off FIFA friendly in India against the hosts in March this year. Under their charges, national U-23 won one and lost one international friendly against visiting Nepal U-23 team in late August. Their latest assignment was guiding the national U-23 team in the Asian Games in Korea last month where Bangladesh failed progress past the group stage, recording one win and two defeats.