'It's not on paper yet'

Bangladesh is poised to replace India in the upcoming FIFA ASEAN Cup following India's late withdrawal, with the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) opening formal talks with FIFA as they await a final decision from world football's governing body. The high-stakes opportunity took center stage on Saturday afternoon at the BFF House, where BFF President Tabith Awal, Vice-President Fahad Karim, and other senior officials held a crucial strategy meeting with national team head coach Thomas Dooley.

Scheduled to kick off on 24 September, the 14-team tournament is split into two tiers, the Premier Division hosted by Indonesia, and the Challenge Division, staged in Hong Kong. Following India's exit, Bangladesh is in line to feature in the top-flight Premier Division alongside Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and Pakistan.

Speaking to reporters immediately after Saturday's meeting, Dooley revealed that the national team is weighing two options for the September-November FIFA international window entering the ASEAN Cup or traveling to Kyrgyzstan while stressing that nothing is set in stone until the paperwork is finalised.

"We would like to play there, of course, and they would like to have us over there also, that is also very nice," Dooley said. "But it's not official, as long as it's not on paper that we are in there, till then obviously we cannot say whether it's true or it's done."

If the move materialises, Bangladesh would face high-caliber regional opposition such as Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia matchups that Dooley views as tough yet invaluable for his squad's development. 

"They are ahead of us very strong teams where you can actually find out what mistakes we do, and we can learn from those mistakes," he noted. "There's a possibility that we can actually beat them. Otherwise, why do we play?"

The German-American tactician was equally candid about embracing the underdog tag, believing it could alleviate pressure on his players. "Everybody needs to understand that we are the underdogs there's no question about that," he said. "That helps us sometimes."

However, Dooley pointed out that his ideal preparation ahead of the SAFF Championship a trophy Bangladesh has not lifted in 23 years would center on home fixtures. "Better preparation would be we play home games and having the fans here supporting us," he explained. "When you play at home, you can actually develop the confidence you need to play tough games."

Conversely, the coach warned that traveling to Kyrgyzstan to face lesser opposition while lacking match sharpness could prove counterproductive. "You're not 100% fit and losing those games badly that doesn't give you confidence. That maybe would be the worst case," he added.

A major concern for Dooley remains the lack of clarity surrounding the domestic league schedule, which has severely disrupted player fitness and preseason plans. 

"We have those FIFA dates in four weeks. If the players don't train in the last four, five weeks,that is very difficult," Dooley emphasised. "In a professional club, the pre-season is six weeks to get almost fit. We cannot make a player fit. It's impossible. We don’t have enough time."