Merdeka Cup again after 24 years

Bangladesh enter uncharted territories when Hasanuzzaman Babloo takes the second-string national team to Malaysia for the Merdeka Cup.
The team will leave Dhaka on Saturday to take part in the prestigious international football tournament after a gap of 24 years.
The Bangladesh Football Federation's decision to send two national teams to different events at the same time -- the apparently stronger team left Dhaka yesterday morning for the Nehru Cup under guidance of head coach Syed Nayeemuddin -- naturally handed Babloo the weaklings of local football with some exception.
However, the former national winger, who has often been given charge of the national team whenever the federation misses out a foreign coach, vowed to fight the oppositions in the group stage but for Zimbabwe.
It would be the first time Bangladesh will face an African nation in a football international and the coach, addressing a press briefing at the BFF Bhaban yesterday, admitted he had little idea about the Zimbabweans.
Bangladesh, who begin their campaign in Group B against Southeast Asian opponents Indonesia on August 21, will face Singapore and Zimbabwe on August 23 and 25 respectively. All matches will be played at the Shah Alam Stadium.
Myanmar, Lesotho, Laos and hosts Malaysia are in Group A of the eight-team meet.
Hassan Al Mamun, who got the national armband for the first time, would look to regain his position as rightback in the main team for the SAFF Championship this December through this tournament after missing international activities in the entire last season due to injury.
The captain will have the experience of former national stars like Parvez Babu, Mahmudul Hassan, Matiur Munna and Saifur Rahman Moni, a few fresh faces apart from a set of players who have been playing for long in the domestic circuit but made this level for the first time.
Moni, however, will be the only seasoned striker with two first-timers -- Mohammedan's Mohammed Rony and Khulna Abahani's GM Mamun -- chosen as his partners.
"Yes, my side have a problem in striking with just one experienced player. But it is a national problem now as most of the teams use foreign strikers for result," said Babloo.
"But I don't feel my boys are weaker than the team to play in the Nehru Cup," said Babloo dismissing views of the weak-strong national teams that had been the talk of the sports arena in recent days.
"The seniors have responded better in the camp than the younger ones. And my experience of handling the national and the Olympic teams in the last six months gives me the feeling that they will fight. Our boys now have the ability to fight back even against teams like Qatar and Korea after conceding goals," Babloo added.
Hassan Al Mamun also sounded confident.
"The responsibility is on us. The motivation is to win a place in the SAFF Championship team. So, the players will try their best," said the top fullback for over a decade.
"When we trained with the ball, our Nehru Cup colleagues had edge in the first two days but we dominated the latter part of the camp. The difference is that they have more experienced players than us," said Hassan.

SQUAD
Goalkeepers: MN Shakil, Mazharul Islam Himel; defenders: Hassan Al Mamun, Parvez Babu, Amit Khan Shuvra, Arafat Rony, Mahmudul Hassan, Akram Hossain, Jahirul Islam.
Midfielders: Matiur Rahman Munna, Jumratul Islam Mithu, Arup Baidya, Mamunul Islam, Enamul Haque Sharif, Rony Islam.
Forwards: Saifur Rahman Moni, Mohammed Rony and GM Mamun.
Officials: Asaduzzaman Khasru (coach), Amirul Islam Babu (manager), Hasanuzzaman Babloo (coach), Ujjal Chakrabarty Shibu (assistant coach) and Monirul Amin Shammi (physician).