Bangladesh midfielder Hamza Choudhury remains optimistic about the national team despite their 1-0 defeat to Singapore in the FIFA ASEAN Cup. Rather than dwelling on the result, the 27-year-old believes Bangladesh are gradually improving and laying the foundations for better performances in the future.
Hamza, who plays for English club Sheffield United, has experienced a mixture of difficult moments and encouraging signs since joining the Bangladesh national team set-up in March last year. He acknowledges that the past year and a half has produced more setbacks than successes, but insists the experience has been valuable.
Speaking in an interview with FIFA, Hamza described his time with the national side as an exceptional personal experience. He said there had been plenty of ups and downs, with difficult periods unfortunately outweighing the better ones. Even so, he believes the squad are working hard and building something that can benefit the team in the longer term.
For Hamza, Bangladesh remain a developing side. Their relatively limited experience in competitions such as the ASEAN Cup means matches against stronger opponents can provide an important learning opportunity. Bangladesh’s campaign has brought them up against Malaysia, Singapore and hosts Indonesia, giving the players exposure to teams operating at a higher level.
The midfielder believes progress should not be judged solely by results. He also sees value in Bangladesh’s ability to remain competitive against teams with greater international standing.
Reflecting on the Malaysia match, Hamza said he felt Bangladesh performed better against Singapore. He acknowledged Malaysia’s strength but pointed to Bangladesh’s slow start in that match as a factor that made the contest more difficult later on.
Malaysia were 45 places above Bangladesh in the FIFA rankings at the time, yet Hamza felt the difference was not consistently visible on the pitch. For him, being able to compete against a higher-ranked opponent is itself an encouraging sign. In certain phases of the match, he said, the ranking gap was difficult to see, reinforcing his belief that Bangladesh are heading in the right direction.
At the same time, Hamza does not believe the team have reached their desired level. He says several areas still require improvement before Bangladesh can fulfil their ambitions. Describing the remaining work as the final pieces of a puzzle, he expressed hope that the squad can put those elements together quickly.
The next major challenge will come in November, when Bangladesh are scheduled to host the SAFF Championship. Hamza sees the tournament as another opportunity for the national side to demonstrate how far they have progressed.
“We have a big tournament in November,” he said. “Inshallah, we are preparing towards that goal and hope to achieve something good there.”
The midfielder has also enjoyed the opportunity to experience a new country and culture during Bangladesh’s current campaign. This is his first visit to Indonesia, and he said he had been impressed by the country’s atmosphere and the friendliness of its people.
Hamza said he had previously heard positive comments about Indonesia from friends and family. Although he found the weather somewhat hot, he said he was enjoying the experience and would like to return in the future to explore more of the country.
For now, however, his attention remains firmly on football. Bangladesh are due to face hosts Indonesia on Thursday, a fixture Hamza is looking forward to despite the scale of the challenge.
He expects a strong atmosphere with a large home crowd in attendance. Indonesia, he pointed out, are a quality side with several players who compete in leading European leagues, making the match a demanding test for Bangladesh.
Yet that is precisely the kind of challenge Hamza believes the national team needs. Facing opponents considered stronger on paper gives Bangladesh an opportunity to measure their development, identify areas that still require work and gain valuable international experience.
For a team still building its identity and consistency, those experiences could prove significant. Hamza’s assessment is that progress is taking place gradually, even if the results have not always reflected the effort involved. The midfielder now hopes that continued work, together with the experience gained against stronger opposition, will help Bangladesh take another step forward before the SAFF Championship.
