Dooley demands goals as SAFF countdown begins

Bangladesh head coach Thomas Dooley has set his sights firmly on the 2026 SAFF Championship title, drafting in two fresh overseas-born strikers to solve a glaring goal-scoring crisis as the national squad opened their training camp in Dhaka on Sunday.

Twenty-two players checked into the team hotel to kick off the preliminary camp. The team will officially start their practice sessions from Monday afternoon at the national stadium. Team manager Amirul Islam Babu confirmed the squad's seven expatriate players will arrive in phases over the coming weeks to complete the 28-man roster.

High-profile England-based stars Hamza Choudhury and Farhaan Ali Wahid will be the last to join due to their domestic club duties. They are expected to land in Dhaka between 8 and 9 November, meaning they will miss Bangladesh's opening match against Bhutan on 5 November. The remaining overseas contingent, including defender Tariq Kazi and midfielder Shamit Shome, are scheduled to join the camp between 28 October and 3 November.

For Dooley, the immediate priority is finding a reliable target man. To address this, he has called up United States-born Ronan Benjamin Sullivan and England-born Mohammed Mahe Khan, who arrives having scored nine goals in seven matches for Malton FC.

"Everybody knows that we're looking for a number nine," Dooley explained, noting the team desperately needs a brave forward willing to take physical punishment in the penalty box. "If you are not afraid to go in there where it hurts, then you are a centre-forward. Ronan is one of them and Mahe is also one of them. They are obviously with us to fulfil that position."

Defending his decision to drop regular domestic attackers, the coach was uncompromising. "If he is a centre-forward and he doesn't score, I take him out. You score, you play next time," he stated.

Despite the tactical headaches, Dooley is highly optimistic about Bangladesh’s chances of regional glory, provided the team plays freely and handles the pressure.

"If every player does what he can do best, I believe that we can do it. I'm really convinced," Dooley said. "The players are humans, they will make mistakes, they are not robots. But if the players are free, motivated and playing their game, I really believe that we can do that."

He also brushed aside online rumours of a dressing-room divide between local and expatriate players. "We don't have to sit all on one table, but when we go to the field, there is only one field. We need to work for each other," he added.

Off the pitch, management is taking a hard line following reports of poor discipline during the recent ASEAN Cup. Babu warned of strict consequences, revealing the federation president will personally review all technical reports to ensure a zero-tolerance policy on player misconduct.

Meanwhile, the technical area saw a sudden departure as long-serving assistant coach Hassan Al-Mamun resigned on the eve of the camp. Having worked with the national setup for more than four years, his exit leaves Dooley to rely on his foreign backroom staff as Bangladesh step up their regional title charge.