Coach not too optimistic

Bangladesh youth hockey team will leave for Bangkok on April 24 to take part in the Asian zone of the Youth Olympic Games Qualifiers, to be played from April 25 to 29, with faint hopes of qualifying for the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.

The Bangladesh team, featuring students of Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan (BKSP), had qualified for the previous edition in 2013 by finishing second behind Pakistan in the ten-team five-a-side competition.

The BKSP students will represent Bangladesh this time as well and they were in practice for four months before Malaysian coach Iman Gobinathan Krishnamurthy took charge three weeks ago.

Bangladesh have been placed in Pool B alongside Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Chinese Taipei and Cambodia while Pool A features India, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Thailand.

"The boys are training hard, doing fitness, gym and other things, but it is a hard time because five out of nine players are sitting for HSC exams," Gobinathan said at press conference at the Falcon Hall in Dhaka yesterday.

The Malaysian, who coached Bangladesh for two months in 2014, was reluctant to promise a repeat of the feat, but said his team would fight hard against all opponents.

"After the first game of every team, the scenario will be clear. Besides, I don't have any idea about the opponents because we don't play five-a-side matches. As far as I know, every country has taken this five-a-side tournament seriously and have been preparing accordingly," Gobinathan said, adding that Malaysia and Pakistan would be tough opponents for them.

Captain Sohanur Rahman Sabuj is confident about producing good results like their predecessors.

Assistant coach Zahid Hossain Raju informed that all of the players have experience of playing in the Dhaka Premier Hockey League and that the squad could have been stronger had they included goalkeeper Biplob Kuzur and Arshad Hossain, who could not join the squad due to exams.