Nikola's stern action

Bangladesh's Macedonian football coach Nikola Ilievski has expelled eight booters and assistant coach Mahbubur Rahman Roxy from the U-19 national football camp on disciplinary grounds yesterday.
Some 31 booters have been training at the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan since August 19 for the AFC U-19 Qualifiers to be held in Bangladesh from October 25-November 4 but the head coach of the national football team was irritated to find that Roxy and eight players were not following his instructions in practice when he was busy with other boys in a trial match at the BKSP ground on Saturday afternoon.
“According to the coach, eight players and coach Roxy did not follow the instructions he gave to them and they were kept out of the camp on disciplinary grounds but we will look into the matter,” said Badal Roy, the chairman of the national team management committee, who also visited the BKSP yesterday afternoon to talk with the coach.
Bangladesh were pitted in a tough group with Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, Nepal and Maldives, with the top two teams to advance to the finals.
The preliminary 30-member squad comprising 14 players from different teams of the third division league, and the club's officials wanted to get their players back into the fold.
“Keeping their request in mind, a trial was held yesterday in a bid to shorten the squad and as 22 players were playing the match, the eight other players and coach Roxy were instructed to practice with the ball. But Roxy and his charges were often found watching the trial match instead of practising, leading to Roxy being withdrawn for negligence of his duty and the squad being shortened by eight,” said BFF technical director BA Jubair Nipu.
Nikola initially wanted to bring those eight players as substitutes to test them but he continued the trial with the 22 players and selected them, keeping those eight players out of the squad.