Tapu Barman ruled out for season

Centre-back Tapu Barman has been ruled out for the rest of the season following a surgery on his left knee last week, which means that he will be unavailable for both legs of Bangladesh’s joint qualifiers for the Word Cup and Asian Cup pre-qualifying matches against Laos.

“I underwent an operation on my left knee on April 23 at Apollo Hospital under the supervision of doctor Nanda Kumar, who told me that it will take me anywhere from 27 to 52 weeks to recover,” Tapu said yesterday.

“I will need at least eight weeks to take to the field and four months to train with the ball. The doctor told me that I will be able to play after five months,” said Tapu, who sustained the knee injury during a tussle with Abahani teammate Kervens Belfort during a practice session in March ahead of their AFC Cup opener against Nepal’s Manang Marshyangdi Club.

The injury rules Tapu out of all competitive football including the World Cup pre-qualifiers in June as well as the ongoing AFC Cup and the second phase of the Bangladesh Premier League.

“I really feel sorry for the club because I had a dream to play in the AFC Cup for Abahani. Besides, our target is to win the professional league title, but I won’t be able to have any contribution there and it is really a bad feeling for a professional footballer,” Tapu said. “Unfortunately, I will also miss the World Cup pre-qualifiers against Laos.”

Coach Jamie Day was frustrated over the injury to his key player, but the coach advised Tapu to stay positive.

“It’s a shame for Tapu and the national team as he is a player and a person I really enjoy working with. He played fantastically well for me. He will be a big loss for us and his club and I hope he makes a full and quick recovery,” Day said over phone from England.

“We have to stay positive with the situation and for the national team it now gives someone else, who has been waiting, a chance,” added Day.