Hassan Al-Mamun resigns as Dooley turns to youth duo

Former Bangladesh footballer Hassan Al-Mamun has resigned as assistant coach of the national team on the eve of the squad’s training camp for the 2026 SAFF Championship, the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) confirmed Daily Sun on Sunday.

Meanwhile head coach Thomas Dooley has called up two overseas-born youngsters to the 28-man preliminary squad.

Al-Mamun had served as an assistant coach for more than four years, joining Javier Cabrera’s coaching staff on 9 March 2022. He remained in the role through 2026 despite changes and speculation surrounding the national team’s coaching set-up.

BFF has named the preliminary squad ahead of the regional tournament, which will be held in Dhaka. 

The players are scheduled to report to the team hotel by Sunday afternoon, with the national camp set to begin the same day.

The two fresh faces are United States-born forward Ronan Benjamin Sullivan and England-born striker Mohammed Mahe Khan, both of whom have previously represented Bangladesh at under-20 level.

Mahe Khan, meanwhile, has earned recognition following a prolific start to the season in English football. The striker, who plays for Malton FC, has scored nine goals in seven matches, earning his first opportunity to join the senior national team camp.

City Club’s Md Ishak Akand has also been invited to train with the squad, although he is not included in the official 28-man preliminary list.

The BFF had set 18 October as the deadline for submitting the preliminary squad. Unlike previous SAFF campaigns, when teams generally named 35 players before trimming their squads to 23, the current selection has been restricted to 28 players, from whom the final matchday squad will be selected.

The players have been instructed to report directly to team official Amirul Islam Babu at Hotel InterContinental in Mintoo Road, Ramna, by Sunday afternoon. Babu has retained the responsibility despite criticism of the team’s discipline during the recent ASEAN Cup.

The decision has reportedly caused some frustration behind the scenes, with the national team committee yet to meet before the camp begins.

Bangladesh’s 28-man preliminary squad

Goalkeepers: Mitul Marma (Abahani Ltd Dhaka), Sujon Hossain (Mohammedan SC), Mehdi Hasan Srabon (Bashundhara Kings).

Defenders: Topu Barman (Bashundhara Kings), Bishwanath Ghosh (Bashundhara Kings), Saad Uddin (Mohammedan SC), Rahmat Mia (Mohammedan SC), Zidane Alexander Yousuf, Isa Faysal (Bangladesh Police FC), Tariq Raihan Kazi (Paro FC), Zayyan Ahmed (Rimal Al Sahara).

Midfielders: Sohel Rana (Mohammedan SC), Sohel Rana (Bashundhara Kings), Ridoy (Bashundhara Kings), Hamza Dewan Choudhury (Sheffield United FC), Shamit Shome (New York Cosmos), Syed Quazem Kirmanee Shah (Bashundhara Kings), Jamal Bhuyan (Brothers Union), Farhaan Ali Wahid (Boreham Wood FC), Minhazul Karim Shadin (Chattogram City FC).

Forwards: Shekh Morsalin (Abahani Ltd Dhaka), Rakib Hossain (Bashundhara Kings), Foysal Ahmed Fahim (Mohammedan SC), Fahamedul Islam (U.S. Sestri Levante), Mohammad Ibrahim (Fortis FC), Suki Itofusa (Fortis FC), Ronan Benjamin Sullivan, Mohammed Mahe Khan (listed as Moulton FC)