Sports Desk:

Bangladesh’s national football team cannot return home as planned after violent protests in Nepal forced authorities to shut down Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport on Tuesday.

The squad, who were scheduled to fly back today, remain stranded in their hotel under tight security while the situation outside grows increasingly hostile.

The unrest also led to the cancellation of Bangladesh’s second friendly against Nepal, which was due to be played on Tuesday. The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) had already rescheduled the team’s tickets from Tuesday to Monday in hopes of an early return, but the closure of the airport has disrupted those plans. Officials now face the challenge of securing 33 new tickets if the squad cannot fly on Tuesday.

The BFF confirmed in a media release that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Bangladesh Embassy in Nepal, and the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) are all working closely to ensure the players’ safety.

“Due to the current situation in Nepal, today’s journey of the Bangladesh national football team to Bangladesh has been postponed. The Bangladesh Embassy in Nepal, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and ANFA are monitoring the situation to ensure the safety of our players,” said in the statement. “Local authorities and ANFA, along with our embassy, have assured that our team is completely safe and secure at their present location. We are keeping a close eye on developments and will announce our next steps accordingly.”

The Bangladesh team had traveled to Kathmandu to play two friendlies against Nepal as part of their build-up to the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers against Hong Kong later this month. The opening match ended goalless on Saturday, while the second game, scheduled for Tuesday, was cancelled following the escalation of unrest in the city.

For now, the squad’s safe return to Dhaka depends on when flights resume, as officials continue to monitor the crisis.