Home support can fuel Bangladesh's SAFF dream: Shome

Bangladesh midfielder Shamit Shome is relying on a passionate home crowd to inspire the national team to SAFF Championship glory, despite injuries and the absence of key overseas players ahead of their opening match against Bhutan.

The regional tournament kicks off in Dhaka on 5 November. Speaking at a corporate event on Sunday, Shome expressed his excitement about returning to home soil after spending recent international windows on the road.

"We want to win for everyone. This is a massive tournament," Shome told reporters. "We are excited to play in front of Bangladesh. It has been about a year since we last played in a stadium here, and we beat India. Hopefully, we can get a similar result and put in a good performance for the whole country."

The hosts begin their campaign without England-based mainstays Hamza Choudhury and Farhaan Ali Wahid, alongside late withdrawals including striker Ronan Sullivan and young prospect Shekh.

Shome acknowledged the void but backed his squad's depth.

"Obviously, we are missing Hamza and Farhaan. They are very big players who help us," he said. "I have confidence that even if they are not playing, there are two or three others who can cover. They might not be as good as Hamza, but I think the team we have right now can do well."

Addressing Ronan's sudden absences, Shome added: "It is too bad, he is a good young talent. We will miss Shekh, but we still have people who can contribute so we will not miss him too much, hopefully. I trust in those players and our team will adapt."

Shome himself is regaining full match fitness after a recent setback sidelined him from club duty.

"It was a challenging last four or five weeks getting hurt, then recovery," he explained. "Luckily so far I feel pretty good. I trained today and everything felt fine. The main thing now is to increase fitness and loading before the Bhutan match. Everyone can get a few knocks, but you have to play, that is the reality."

The midfielder also praised national team kit provider Dore, highlighting the value of domestic partnerships.

"The jerseys are very beautiful. I like the green colour," he said. "It is a big deal that our jersey provider is a local brand. I love their style and wear them in Canada and the USA. When I go to Canada after SAFF, hopefully after winning, I will probably wear them to the airport."

Concluding, Shome reiterated the home advantage. "The fans want to see us win SAFF, but the main thing is we are just excited to play in stadiums in Bangladesh. That will give us a massive boost."

​This year's tournament features hosts Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Bangladesh are drawn in a group alongside Bhutan and Sri Lanka, facing Bhutan on 5 November and Sri Lanka on 11 November . The top two teams from each of the two groups will advance to the semi-finals.