Sports adviser Asif Mahmud and cricketer Shakib Al Hasan exchanged veiled remarks on Facebook on Sunday night, sparking debate among fans and social media users.

At 10:00pm, Asif Mahmud posted a status without naming anyone, saying, “For not rehabilitating one person, you hurled thousands of abuses at me. But I was right. End of the discussion.”

Although no name was mentioned, many social media users speculated that his comment was aimed at Shakib Al Hasan. The speculation arose as Shakib had earlier, around 9:00pm, posted a photograph of himself with the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina. In the caption, he wrote, “Happy Birthday, Apa.”

Users linked Asif Mahmud’s reference to “not rehabilitating one person” to Shakib, interpreting it as a jab at the cricketer’s exclusion from the national team.

Shakib appeared to respond later that night. At 11:20pm, he wrote on his Facebook account, “At least someone finally admitted that because of him, I could no longer don the Bangladesh jersey or play for the country! Someday I may return to my motherland. I love Bangladesh.”

The exchange of remarks between the two has since stirred heated discussions online, with many followers weighing in on the underlying conflict.