The Bangladesh national football team was scheduled to leave Dhaka at 1:30 PM on Wednesday (September 3) to play two FIFA international friendlies in Nepal. However, Jamal Bhuiyan, Tapu Barman, and their teammates could not depart on time as the team’s flight was delayed by five and a half hours.

The 23-member squad, along with the coaching staff, had already reached Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka to board a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight bound for Kathmandu.

Shortly before the scheduled departure, it was announced that the flight would not leave as planned. Quoting Biman authorities, the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) confirmed that a new departure time had been set for 7:00 PM.

This means Bangladesh will now depart for Nepal five and a half hours later than scheduled. At the time of filing this report, the players and staff were still at the airport, with no decision yet on whether they would remain there for the entire waiting period.

Explaining the delay, Biman’s station manager Nazmul Imam said the aircraft designated for the Nepal flight was arriving from Singapore, but due to a technical glitch, it could not land in Dhaka on time.

Earlier, the BFF announced a 23-man squad for the Nepal friendlies. Notably, Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury and Cavalry FC (Canada) player Shamit Som were excluded due to club commitments.