Expatriate footballer Shamit Som has arrived in Dhaka to join the Bangladesh national team ahead of their Asian Cup qualifier against Singapore on June 10.
The Canada-born midfielder landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 5 a.m. on Wednesday.
Previously, two other expatriate players — Fahmidul Islam and Hamza Choudhury — had already joined the team’s training camp. With Shamit’s arrival, all three have now reported for national duty.
Upon arrival, Shamit expressed his excitement, saying, “I’m thrilled to be here. I’m eager to meet my teammates. I’ve already had discussions with the coach about how we want to play and what role I’ll be taking. Right now, I just can’t wait to be with the team. I know we have a strong squad, and I’m hopeful for something special.”
Meanwhile, Bangladesh will play an international friendly against Bhutan at 7 p.m. on Wednesday as part of their preparation for the crucial qualifier against Singapore.
While Hamza and Fahmidul are expected to feature in the match, Shamit will not take part. Instead, he’ll watch the game from the bench and join full training with the team afterward.
Notably, Shamit Som is the first player in Bangladesh’s football history to have previously represented another national team. He has three caps for the Canadian national team but is now fully committed to Bangladesh.
Alongside Shamit, Hamza, and Fahmidul, three other expatriate players are in the preliminary squad for the Singapore match: Denmark-based Jamal Bhuiyan, Finland-based Tariq Kazi, and another Canada-based player, Syed Kazem Kirmani.
