ANISUR RAHMAN

The National Teams Committee (NTC) of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) yesterday initiated the search for a new head coach following a meeting, as Spanish coach Javier Cabrera’s contract is set to expire on April 30.

There, however, remains a catch -- Cabrera himself will also be allowed to appear for an interview. The Spaniard has delivered underwhelming results, with 10 wins, 10 draws, and 19 losses in a tenure of over four years since his appointment in January 2022. Yet, the BFF has not opted to completely part ways with him before beginning the search for a successor.

Such a move can be interpreted in two ways: either the BFF is not confident of attracting someone better than the current coach, or it is unwilling to go through the process of starting anew.

“We are neither thinking of his exclusion, nor thinking of his inclusion,” said NTC member and BFF media committee chairman Amirul Islam Babu when asked about keeping Cabrera in contention.

“He [Cabrera] still has about a month remaining in his contract. So, we are searching for someone better than him. If we find someone better than him, then we will think along those lines,” he added.

Babu’s remarks appear to indicate the governing body’s continued inclination towards the Spanish tactician, who, despite coming under scrutiny after completing his initial 11-month contract, received three extensions along with significant salary increases under both former and current BFF presidents, Kazi Salahuddin and Tabith Awal.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a former BFF executive member who was also part of the previous National Teams Management Committee, said: “The then national teams committee also rejected the appointment of Cabrera in 2022 before he got the job with the blessing of the previous BFF president Kazi Salahuddin.”

While most members of the current NTC remain reluctant to reappoint Cabrera, there have also been murmurs about how discussions unfold whenever the topic of replacing him arises -- with those advocating change being asked to find a better alternative themselves.

As it stands, in its apparent fixation on Cabrera, the BFF has overlooked established channels typically followed in hiring a new coach, such as issuing open advertisements, liaising with international coaching agents, or assigning the technical department to conduct the search.

Hence, it would not be a surprise to see Cabrera -- already the longest-serving coach in Bangladesh football history -- extend his tenure, even though the BFF insists it will handle his case in a new manner if he appears for the interview.