Sports Desk:

The Bangladesh national team have officially begun their training camp ahead of two upcoming international friendlies against Nepal, scheduled to be held in Kathmandu during the September FIFA window.

However, Canadian-based midfielder Shamit Shome will not feature in these matches, while the inclusion of Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury remains uncertain, despite being named in the preliminary squad.

Shamit, who plays for Cavalry FC in the Canadian Premier League, has club commitments on September 6 and 14 — dates that coincide with Bangladesh’s matches against Nepal on September 6 and 9. “Shamit has club matches in September. That’s why he hasn’t been included in the preliminary squad. Hamza Choudhury is in the squad,” national team manager Amer Khan told the media after the reporting at a hotel in Dhaka on Wednesday.

“Hamza is in the coach’s 24-man preliminary squad. A letter has already been sent to his club, Leicester City. The federation is in ongoing discussions with his club to bring him in for September,” Amer added.

Despite the camp’s official start, only five players reported on the first day, as most players from Abahani and Bashundhara Kings are yet to join. Abahani’s players are expected to join the camp tomorrow following their AFC Challenge League commitments, while Kings’ players are scheduled to report the day after. According to team officials, five players from Abahani and 10 from Bashundhara Kings are likely to be part of the squad for the September friendlies.

The BFF, however, did not release the full list of players, and national team captain Jamal Bhuiyan was also absent on the opening day. Amer stated that Jamal had requested a one-day delay in joining the camp. He also mentioned that players from clubs outside Abahani and Kings had not fully resumed training, prompting the coach to call them in early for gym and fitness work.