French coach Eric arrives in Dhaka to take interim charge of women’s team

French coach Eric Mare arrived in Dhaka on Monday to take charge of the Bangladesh women’s national football team on a short-term basis, just under a month before their two-match Singapore assignment in December.

The Frenchman went straight from the airport to the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) House and met federation officials before speaking to the media. He then travelled to Chattogram to join the team's ongoing training camp at the Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ).

BFF appears to have taken a gamble on Eric to steer the women’s team through their next assignment, turning to a coach with no prior senior national team head coaching experience after Peter Butler was forced to return to England for medical treatment.

Eric has already been in contact with Peter and intends to maintain communication with the Englishman, who knows the players well and has overseen the team's development over the past four years.

"He knows the players very well, of course. I will be in touch with him about the players. After that, I will see things for myself on the pitch," Eric said.

The Frenchman does not intend to make sweeping changes to the team's playing approach, pledging to maintain Peter's philosophy while making his own assessment of the players before settling on a formation.

"You cannot change everything in such a short time. That will not be possible," he said, adding that high pressing would remain part of his approach, as it had been under Butler.

Eric, however, made it clear that continuity would not mean sharing responsibility for the results with his predecessor.

"I will be the coach there. It will be my responsibility," he replied when asked who would take the blame if Bangladesh failed to win either match.

The 54-year-old UEFA A Licence holder possesses extensive experience in youth development and technical director roles in Africa. He joins Bangladesh with the task of maintaining Peter's playing philosophy while delivering two victories against Singapore.

While Eric boasts 28 years of international experience in professional football, he has never served as head coach of a senior national team. 

Instead, his two most recent assignments were as national technical director of Guinea-Bissau (2022–2025) and Guinea (2018–2022), where his responsibilities centered on youth development, coach education, and technical support for national teams.

In Guinea-Bissau, he worked with the men's U-17, U-20, and U-23 teams, alongside the women's U-20 and senior A sides. 

His four-year stint in Guinea involved establishing a national academy, identifying elite young players, and training local coaches under a FIFA technical support program. 

He also provided technical support to the country's U-15, U-17, U-20, and U-23 teams.

Additionally, Eric has previous senior club management experience. 

He coached Mauritanian first-division side FC Tevragh Zeina from 2014 to 2015, winning the league title and guiding the club to qualification for the CAF Champions League and Arab Cup. 

He also managed FC Khairy, another Mauritanian first-division club, from 2007 to 2008.

In Bangladesh, his target is unambiguous: win both matches. He also ruled out any immediate discussion about taking the position permanently, clarifying that his appointment is specifically linked to Peter's medical situation.

"I'm here for this mission only. I hope we will be successful in the two games and make the country proud," he said.

He has already studied footage of Singapore and spent the past five days gathering information about Bangladesh's players, but he believes final tactical decisions must come after working with them on the training ground.

The Frenchman will initially spend around 10 days with the team in Chattogram, where all 41 players in the camp will get an opportunity to impress before the squad is trimmed to 23 for the Singapore trip.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh are scheduled to leave for Singapore on 29 November. The friendlies will take place in Singapore on 1 and 5 December, respectively.