A big loss and Butler falls back to blame game

After suffering a humiliating 10-0 thrashing by North Korea at the Asian Games on Monday, Bangladesh women's team head coach Peter Butler once again resorted to the blame game while evading questions over his decision to leave experienced players out of the starting eleven.

"I think what you [have] got to bear in mind is we got a lot of really young players out there," Butler said post-match. “We've got one girl there [aged] only 15. Now whether that's right or whether that's wrong to actually implement a policy of developing young play.”

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

At a pre-match briefing, Butler had promised a creditable performance against North Korea, who had beaten Bangladesh 5-0 at the AFC Women's Asian Cup in Australia in March. Instead, with Monika Chakma, Ritu Porna Chakma, Shamsunnahar Sr and Sheuli Azim among those benched, the women in red and green endured another devastating evening.

"Maybe a lot of people, maybe the head of the women's wing doesn't like the development side of how I work. So, then that draws us into a different conversation.

"But we've got a different core. We've got an old group, an older group, and a young group. And there's issues regarding what's going on. I can't control what goes on off the field," added the Bangladesh coach.

The youngsters had already received game time under Butler at last July's SAFF Women's Championship in India, with a couple proving their mettle. However, throwing them into the deep end against a side ranked 11th and three-time Asian Games champions appeared tantamount to leaving them out to sea.

Butler eventually introduced the experienced players after half-time, but it was too late to prevent one of the most embarrassing defeats in the team's history. Bangladesh conceded only three goals after the break, compared with seven before it -- a stark contrast that strengthens the argument for their inclusion from the start.

"But I can turn around and say the president's been super supportive,” Butler continued. “Other people haven't, ringing up, having conference calls with players in the midst of the night and you can't build a team like that and you talk about building morale and going in at half-time and I'm not a magician who pulls rabbits out of hats."

There is a degree of irony in Butler's current predicament. Under his guidance, Bangladesh won their second-ever SAFF Women's Championship title and qualified for the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup for the first time in their history. The latter came with a new-look squad after several senior players were sidelined following their dispute with the former Botswana and Liberia coach.

Butler was praised for taking the bold decision to move forward without an established but ageing group of senior players, and the team appeared to evolve tactically and physically. But since the Asian Cup qualifiers, the side have been in decline, while Butler's handling of setbacks has increasingly raised questions.

In defeats, he has often appeared more inclined to point elsewhere than acknowledge his own mistakes. Whatever the issues around the team, a head coach is ultimately responsible for the players he selects, the tactics he employs and, inevitably, their underperformance.