In 2008, during the Indo-Bangla Games camp at Fakirerpool Youngmen's Club and practice sessions at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, a reserved gentleman introduced himself as Maruful Haque and began a warm-up called "FIFA Ten." Some senior players frowned at the name, which was understandable as we had never encountered it before.
Maruful was ahead of his time in the context of Bangladeshi football. Many agree that modern coaching in Bangladesh began with him. He is the first South Asian coach to hold a UEFA 'A' license.
Despite his achievements, Maruful faced criticism early in his coaching career. Some former players and coaches couldn't accept that he became a coach without playing at the highest level. He was derogatorily called a "laptop coach" because it was unimaginable for a Bangladeshi coach to use a laptop for tactical presentations. But now, that "laptop coach" is a champion coach for Bangladesh. On Wednesday, Maruful's Bangladesh won the long-elusive SAFF U-19 Championship trophy.
Bangladesh's youth team defeated hosts Nepal 4-1. In the 2022 tournament, British coach Paul Smalley's Bangladesh lost 5-2 to India in the final.
In the past, just hearing the word "final" would make Bangladeshi players nervous. But players like Mirajul Islam, Rahul, and Asif Bhuiyan turned the pressure of a big match into a neighbourhood game.
Despite criticisms that Bangladeshi players can't score in international matches, they netted four goals in the final, leading 3-0 within 70 minutes. Even after a night, it feels surreal.
Maruful's success in domestic football has long erased the "laptop coach" label. However, in Bangladesh, being a good football coach often means being foreign. Despite his achievements, Maruful is often overlooked because he isn't a foreign coach.
Even the current BFF president Kazi Salahuddin often belittles local coaches. Consequently, BFF hasn't utilised Maruful's talents in player or coach development. Ironically, he knows best what the roadmap for football development should be. Instead, he faced sanctions for speaking out against BFF's irregularities. Maruful almost lost his position again. BFF handed him the team with just two weeks of preparation for the SAFF tournament. With such limited preparation, good results are praised, but bad results are blamed on the coach. As a Bangladeshi coach, Maruful was an easy scapegoat.
The players were out of practice, making two weeks of preparation insufficient. But history doesn't record these adversities; it records the heroics of the victors. Taking on such a team as a coach is like knowingly drinking poison. When asked why he took on the responsibility despite the risks, Maruful replied, "No one else dared to take the responsibility. It's my country. I can't ignore it out of fear."
That's Coach Maruful. Salute to Maruful Haque.
