Bangladesh football team’s return journey delayed due to political unrest in Nepal

 Staff Reporter | PNN:

The return journey of the Bangladesh national football team has been postponed due to political unrest in Kathmandu, Nepal. Although the team was scheduled to return home today, the situation prevented Jamal Bhuiya and his teammates from traveling from their hotel to the airport. The scheduled flight has also been canceled.

The players are currently staying at Hotel Crown Imperial in Kathmandu. Sitting in his hotel room, captain Jamal Bhuiya expressed fear after seeing fires outside. Posting a video on Facebook, he wrote, “The situation in Nepal is not very good at the moment. Hopefully, everything will be resolved soon.” In the video, Jamal and several other players highlighted the security concerns.

Earlier, the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) stated, “Due to the current situation in Nepal, the team’s scheduled return to Bangladesh today has been postponed. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Embassy in Nepal, and the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) are monitoring the situation to ensure the players’ safety. Local authorities have confirmed that our team is currently in a safe and secure location.”

The second friendly match against Nepal has been canceled. The first friendly match on September 6 ended in a goalless draw. Following two consecutive days of anti-corruption violent protests, Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned. So far, 19 people have been killed in the ongoing protests spreading across the capital, Kathmandu.