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'King's Cup was a personal challenge too'

Atique Anam
They say that the most uncertain and transient job in the world is that of a football coach. One moment you are on top of the world, winning trophies and accolades and the next second you could find yourself nowhere; if you can’t deliver success. The more professional and competitive the sport gets, the more uncertain the position of the head coach becomes.
Take Maruful Haque's case for example. The former Sheikh Russel KC coach was hailed, just last year, as the most successful coach of Bangladesh, when he guided a star-studded side to a rare treble in the 2012-2013 season. He was rewarded by the club with a new agreement, making him the highest-paid coach of the country.
But barely six months into the new season, the veteran coach was shockingly released as for failing to replicate the previous year's success.
"I was preparing myself for the AFC President's Cup qualifiers, which would have been my first overseas tournament, when I was unceremoniously released by Sheikh Russel," reminisced Maruful while speaking to The Daily Star yesterday.
"It was a shock at that time. They flew in
a foreign coach (Dragon Djukanovic) in the morning and informed me that very evening that I was released from the job," recalled Maruful.
But like all sought-after coaches, Maruful did not have to wait for long to get his next opportunity, as the giants of Dhanmondi, Sheikh Jamal, came calling. The Dhanmondi giants were apparently less than satisfied with their Nigerian
coach Joseph Aftisi for failing to land the IFA Shield, the Super Cup and the Independence Cup in a span of a few months, and over a few other off-field issues. Less than five weeks after being released from Sheikh Russel, Maruful was made advisor to Sheikh Jamal coach Joseph Afusi, but it was Maruful who was effectively running the show. The Dhanmondi giants ended up winning their second league title in four years and beat their nearest rivals by 12 points.
But just as he was getting set to take over the job of the head coach of the Dhanmondi giants, Maruful suffered a major setback. For all his trophies and success, Maruful has always been known for his straight-talk, which earned him more foes than friends in the football establishment. While in charge of Sheikh Russel, Maruful had protested against the scheduling of the Bangladesh Premier League. That eventually earned him a hefty one-year suspension from all domestic football activities, effective from August 24, 2014; a suspension that was later reduced to six months.
Linder such circumstances, the Sheikh Jamal management kept faith on the coach, and entrusted him with the charge
of leading the club in Bhutan’s prestigious King's Cup tournament.
"The circumstances were difficult, both for me and the club. The King's Cup was a personal challenge for as I was under domestic suspension and keeping faith on me meant that 1 had to deliver," said the highly-revered coach.
And deliver he did, in style. The new powerhouse of Bangladesh football came back with the King's Cup trophy, remained unbeaten throughout the tournament, and earned praise and admiration from football followers across South Asia.
"You would remember that we were trailing by a goal against the defending champions, Manang Marshyiangdi Club of Nepal, deep into the second half of the semifinal," recalled Maruful. "Then a call came from our president in Dhaka, urging me to show my best. I made a few substitutions, bringing in Shakhawat Hossain Rony and taking Nasiruddin Chowdhury up to the forward position, in a four-pronged attack. And we managed to win the 'most difficult' match in extra time,"
The rest, as you already know, has become part of modern football folklore ofBangladesh.