'Dooley's appointment not final yet': Sports minister drops bombshell

A day after Bangladesh Football Federation unveiled new head coach Thomas Dooley in a dramatic fashion, Aminul Haque, the State Minister for Youth and Sports, has claimed that a contract with the German-born American has not been finalised yet. 

Speaking at an AFC Grassroots Football Day event in the capital, the former national team captain, told the media that Bangladesh's friendly match against San Marino on June 5 will be treated as a test case for the coach.      

"We want to treat the San Marino match as a test and then make a final decision,” Aminul told the media. 

“In my opinion, considering the current context of Bangladesh football, we should evaluate the coach on a trial basis first," Aminul added. “I have already told the BFF president that they should continue searching in case an even better option becomes available in future and can be brought in quickly.”

The footballer-turned-politician, who had meetings with the BFF president leading during the hunt for a coach, said he did not have any discussions about Dooley with the BFF.

“They sought my overall cooperation regarding (Chris) Coleman and I agreed to that. But regarding Thomas Dooley’s appointment, the BFF did not seek any assistance from me,” Aminul said, adding that there is no gap between the BFF and the ministry. 

BFF president Tabith Awal was sent text messages for his reaction to the minister's comments. He neither denied nor owned the minister's comments, saying: "BFF is fully following its norms and international process. We sincerely cannot and do not comment on anyone else's comments nor can we give clarification on such matters. We thank everyone for with support and faith on us."