Millions of fans, but not enough players: Dooley rues small player pool

Bangladesh may have millions of passionate football fans, but what they lack compared to Indonesia is a large pool of players, including a growing number with experience in European leagues, head coach Thomas Dooley said ahead of Thursday’s FIFA ASEAN Cup encounter between the two sides.

Bangladesh will play their third and final group match against Indonesia, who are 65 places above them in the FIFA rankings, with the match kicking off at 6:30 pm Bangladesh time.

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Reflecting on the basic footballing differences between the two countries, Dooley said the contrast was particularly evident in the number and quality of players available to Indonesia.

“We have to recognise that we are a country with a huge fan base, with millions and millions of fans, but we have only a few players,” Dooley said in a video clip shared by the Bangladesh Football Federation. “Indonesia has millions and millions of players. And now even international players are playing in Germany, Holland and Italy.”

Dooley, who was speaking after inspecting the facilities and pitch at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, said Bangladesh needed to develop similar infrastructure and a stronger footballing base.

“So, what we don't have, and that makes it difficult,” he said.

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R-L: Bangladesh midfielder Jamal Bhuyan, goalkeeper Mehedi Hasan Srabon, midfielder Hamza Choudhury, and forward Sheikh Morsalin before the kickoff in their ASEAN Cup fixture against Singapore in Jakarta on September 28, 2026. Photo: BFF

Despite the gulf between the two teams, Dooley remains committed to using the ASEAN Cup as a learning experience ahead of the SAFF Championship in Dhaka in November.

“Our games here are for learning. And then when we get back home, we need to win the SAFF tournament. There's no question about that,” said the German-American coach.

“If Pakistan has a great game right now, if India has a great game right now, okay. When we play against them, we have to have a great game to beat them. That's what it is.”

Bangladesh have already lost 3-0 to Malaysia and 1-0 to Singapore, leaving them with little more than pride to play for against Indonesia. Dooley, however, wants another committed performance after his side showed significant improvement against Singapore.

Captain Jamal Bhuiyan, meanwhile, urged his teammates to concentrate on their own progress rather than results involving other South Asian rivals.

“India drawing with Panama is, of course, a very good result. Then we saw Pakistan make a comeback after being 2-0 down; that is also good for them,” Jamal said.

“But actually, we have to focus on ourselves. We don't have to look at other teams. We have to focus on ourselves and the areas where we need to improve.”