Despite remaining with the team through the AFC U-20 Asian Cup Qualifiers amid several controversies, British coach Gerard Jones has been dismissed by the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) following Bangladesh’s consecutive defeats in the tournament.

The BFF announced the termination of Jones’ contract through a press release on Friday (September 4).

According to the federation, Jones has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the Bangladesh U-20 national football team for the AFC U-20 Asian Cup Qualifiers. At the same time, the BFF has terminated his contract with immediate effect.

Following Jones’ removal, assistant coach Atikur Rahman Mishu will take charge as the interim head coach for Bangladesh’s upcoming qualifier against India.

Bangladesh suffered their second consecutive defeat in the qualifiers on Thursday in Tashkent, going down 3-0 to Syria. The Young Tigers had also lost their opening match 2-0 to hosts Uzbekistan.

As a result, Bangladesh have failed to collect any points from their first two matches of the qualifying campaign. With the team struggling to produce results, the BFF decided to part ways with Jones ahead of the crucial clash against India.

Jones had also attracted controversy previously through several of his comments and activities on social media concerning Bangladesh football. Despite those controversies, he remained in charge of the U-20 side and travelled with the team for the qualifiers.

The BFF has now opted for a change in the coaching set-up, with Assistant coach Atiqur Rahman Mishu set to lead the team on an interim basis against India.