BFF reshuffle raises questions as Amer Khan loses manager's role

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has abruptly reshuffled the management of the national football team, removing former footballer Amer Khan as team manager and replacing him with executive committee member Amirul Islam Babu ahead of the FIFA Asian Cup campaign.

The federation confirmed the changes in a press release on Sunday. Amer, who had served as manager for around one and a half years, has been redesignated as coordinator, while another executive committee member, Iqbal Hossain, has been named team leader.

The decision, however, has raised eyebrows within football circles, particularly because Amer himself said he was informed of his removal only through the team's media manager.

Amer told the media, "I came to know a little while ago through the media manager that I am no longer the manager." 

"I do not understand what the coordinator's role is. Who will say whether this is a promotion or a demotion?," said the former footballer. 

The change comes after several people had reportedly shown interest in the manager's position. Yet the sudden switch has revived old questions surrounding Babu's appointment.

His name has previously been at the centre of controversy over national-team management. In 2005 and again in 2006, his appointment as manager triggered disputes within the BFF, with the National Team Management Committee opposing decisions that went against its recommendations. The 2005 episode contributed to the resignation of Kazi Salahuddin and other committee members.

Babu, who has managed several age-group national teams over the years, was also described as a non-technical appointment when he was named manager of the Bangladesh U-23 side in 2011.

The latest reshuffle, therefore, has opened a fresh debate. With internationally experienced players such as Hamza Choudhury and Shamit Shome now part of the national set-up, the question is whether Bangladesh are putting the right structures and the right people in place as the stakes continue to rise.

In football, as in any serious enterprise, changing the man at the wheel is one thing; proving that the new hand can steer the ship through rough waters is quite another.