A daughter’s grief, a team’s pain

The common routine of a matchday eve was broken in an instant for the Bangladesh women’s football team on Tuesday morning.

As veteran defender Sheuli Azim awoke to the news of the passing of her mother, Bashona Azim.

After a prolonged battle with kidney disease and other physical complications, she breathed her last at 4am Bangladesh time.

What was meant to be a crucial day of tactical preparation ahead of their high-stakes semi-final against Nepal instead dissolved into a profound grieving atmosphere.

The morning had begun exactly as countless others before it.

A vital training session was scheduled for 7am at the Bambolim Athletic Stadium.

Abiding by their usual match-preparation protocol, the players were filtering into the team hotel's dining room in their training gear, ready to share a light breakfast before boarding the team bus. 

The atmosphere of quiet, focused anticipation was abruptly pierced when team captain Maria Manda entered the hall in tears.

It was Maria, who is not only Sheuli's national teammate but also a relative, who bore the heavy burden of breaking the tragic news to the rest of the squad.

The revelation sent shockwaves through the camp, instantly bringing all footballing focus to a standstill.

The dining hall emptied as heartbroken players rushed to Sheuli’s room to offer comfort.

The room became a sanctuary of collective mourning, with players breaking down in tears alongside their devastated defender.

Unsurprisingly, the scheduled practice was immediately cancelled.

Football had entirely lost its significance.

Instead, the entire squad dedicated their morning to wrapping their teammate in a protective embrace of solidarity. 

The devastating emotional toll of the day was laid bare later that afternoon. 

Seeking a momentary respite from the confines of the hotel, the squad ventured out for a collective walk along the nearby beach.

Sheuli accompanied her teammates, but she was a portrait of unimaginable sorrow.

She walked in absolute, haunting silence, moving with a vacant gaze, seemingly numb to the crashing waves and the world unfolding around her.

Flanked closely by the team physio and the female assistant coach, who never left her side for a single moment, the defender was physically present but entirely lost in her personal tragedy.

The geographical realities of the tournament's location only compounded the heartbreak.

With no direct flights available, a swift return to Bangladesh from Goa was out of the question.

Even navigating alternative transit routes would require well over a day of travel to reach her home village.

Consequently, despite a desperate wish to be physically present to bid her mother a final farewell, the logistics rendered it an absolute impossibility. 

Forced to accept this grim reality, Sheuli has steeled her resolve and chosen to remain in the camp.

In a heartfelt moment, in the afternoon, Sheuli was shown the last rites of her mother via video-call by the media team of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF).

The profound loss resonated far beyond the Bangladesh camp, prompting widespread expressions of sympathy across the regional football community.

The BFF and the Youth and Sports State Minister Aminul Haque issued formal messages of condolence, offering their deepest sympathies to the bereaved family.

In a touching display of sportsmanship that transcended the fierce rivalry on the pitch, Nepal head coach Nabin Neupane also expressed grief immediately following his team's morning training session.

"I heard just in the morning that a Bangladesh player, her mother passed away," Neupane said. "So, heartfelt condolences to her and rest in peace for her. We pray to God."