‘Hamza doesn’t need captain’s armband; he’s a leader anywhere’
Following Bangladesh’s 3-0 defeat to Malaysia in their opening FIFA ASEAN Cup match, questions were raised over why midfielder Sohel Rana wore the captain’s armband instead of the more high-profile Hamza Choudhury.
With regular captain Jamal Bhuyan no longer a regular starter and veteran centre-back Topu Barman sidelined by injury, many expected the Sheffield United midfielder to lead the team.
Instead, Sohel wore the armband, although his performance came under scrutiny from the media and fans. Asked why the experienced midfielder was chosen over Hamza, Bangladesh coach Thomas Dooley revealed that the captaincy was not something the players were eager to take on.
“Nobody wanted to be a captain,” the German-American coach said. “Even Sohel doesn't want to be the captain. So then he came up to me later on and said, ‘You know what, if nobody wants to be, obviously I would like to take that burden and take the captain band.’”
Dooley did not say whether Hamza had declined the armband, but made it clear that he did not believe the midfielder needed it to demonstrate his leadership.
“Hamza doesn't need a captain band to be a leader of the team. He's a leader anywhere -- in the locker room, in the stands, in the hotel, everywhere. But he doesn't need to have the captain band,” Dooley said.
“If it's for the fans or something, then you have to ask him, but he doesn't need that.”
Dooley also pointed to Hamza’s attitude on the pitch as an example for his teammates, particularly when defending.
“I told the players already that if you don't know what an attitude means, what the mindset means, look when Hamza is going into a one-on-one fight. Look how he defends, how his body language is when he defends,” he said.
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