The year that has passed will be remembered as one of busiest for Bangladesh sports, especially for football, who played three FIFA International friendly matches and lost none.
Barring football, success eluded in other sports despite them having enough international exposures. Apart from a silver medal for shooter Abdullah Hel Baki in Commonwealth Games, Bangladesh’s performance was limited to mediocrity in most of the international events.
Bangladesh sent big delegations in Commonwealth Games and Asian Games but returned almost empty-handed as no athlete from any discipline could perform to the best of their limit.
Baki was the only athlete to win a medal from Commonwealth Games, held in Glasgow in July, while cricket and women’s kabaddi earned three bronze medals from the Asian Games in Incheon in September-October.
Comparatively football, which was in terminal decline over the last few years, somewhat regained its lost pride, both at national and club level, with few notable success.
The high-point for Bangladesh football was 2-2 draw against India in India in a friendly, a game that Bangladesh should have won. India could snatch a draw only after Sunil Chhetri struck the equaliser in the 92nd minute.
Bangladesh played their two other FIFA friendlies against Sri Lanka in October drawing one in Jessore and winning the other in Rajshahi.
The Bangladesh Football Federation hosted the matches outside Dhaka after national Under-23 team provided them an eye opener in a series against their Nepal counterparts.
Bangladesh U-23s won the first match in Dhaka before travelling to Sylhet where thousands of fans gathered at the stadium to watch the game. Many of them took their seat on the sideline being unable to find a place in small gallery, delaying the game by an hour.
It also caused a distraction for home side, who lost 0-1 to share the series 1-1.
The U-23 boys carried the momentum in the Asian Games despite a 2-4 loss to Vietnam in a warm-up game. Bangladesh beat Afghanistan 1-0 in the first match, their first win in 28 years in the Games.
Bangladesh went down fighting in the two other matches against Uzbekistan and Hong Kong to bow out the tournament on a high note.
Bangladesh’s busy international fixture ended with an exhibition match between national team and Japan U-21 team in Dhaka in December. Bangladesh held Japanese youths in the first half before lack of stamina and tactical prowess cost them the game 3-0.
Bangladesh also gained some achievement at club level with Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, the domestic double winner, making their mark in India’s IFA Shield and Bhutan’s Kings Cup.
Jamal dominated Shield only to settle as runners-up with a penalty shootout loss to Kolkata Mohammedan in the final in February.
Jamal, who beat East Bengal and Mohun Bagan along the way, in the Kings Cup final beat India’s Pune FC 1-0 in the final to claim their second international silverware in November.
Sheikh Russell KC became champions in the respective group of the AFC President’s Cup qualifiers in Colombo before being eliminated in group stage of the final round.
Bangladesh Under-16 women’s football team beat Jordan and the UAE in AFC Women’s Under-16 qualifiers in Dhaka in October with Bangladesh’s Sanjida Akter scoring four goals to make it to the top 10 in the competition.
Bye, Bye Kruif
The off-the field event was dominated by Dutch coach Lodewijk De Kruif, who threatened to take the matter of his unpaid wages to FIFA only to be getting sacked by the BFF in October along with his assistant Rene Koster.
Bitter-sweet hockey
National hockey team spent bitter-sweet journey in the year winning the Asian Games qualifying round in Dhaka before conceding 24 goals in five matches to finish the eighth in Incheon.
In September, Bangladesh hockey team became unbeaten champions in FIH Hockey World League round one.
The Under-21 Hockey team qualified for the Youth Asia Cup after clinching the Youth AHF Cup title in December, scoring 35 goals in the process without conceding any.
C’wealth Games scam
Baki fought neck-and-neck with Olympic gold winner Abhinava Bindra, in 10-metre air rifle, to finish second in the Commonwealth Games, which will also be remembered for some off-the-field events.
A Bangladeshi cyclist was disqualified for taking wrong carrier to meet while Bangladesh boxing team went to the game with a coach unqualified to stand beside the ring.
Shamim Osman flees
Karate player Shamim Osman left the Asian games camp never to return to produce perhaps the biggest scandal of the year in Bangladesh’s sports.
Hurrah in handball
Bangladesh women’s handball team clinched the Asian Handball Federation Cup in Pakistan in December while Bangladesh Basketball team became runners-up in the South Asian Basketball Championship in Nepal.
End of an era
The year ended with the retirement of veteran weightlifter Biddut Kumar Roy, who won 25 national gold medals in a row before calling it a day in the National Weightlifting Championship in December.
-With New Age input