When Jamal Bhuiyan, the captain of the Bangladesh football team, spoke on the phone with Satadru Dutta, the chief of the company that brought the Argentine to the subcontinent for the first time, Jamal Bhuiyan said that it would have been ideal for Emiliano Martinez to have made a public appearance during his brief visit to Bangladesh. Jamal Bhuiyan said that it would have been best for Martinez to have made a public appearance during his short visit to Bangladesh.
Satadru placed a call to Jamal to notify him that Martinez had left an autographed jersey for him after learning that Jamal was not granted permission to meet with the Argentine. Martinez was aware that Jamal was not granted permission to meet with the Argentine.
“Yes, Satadru phoned me and asked if he could send the jersey to me. I told him it would be fine with me. “I told him that I would take it from him the next time I meet him when he arranges an event as the jersey could go missing if he sent it via courier service,” Jamal said to The Daily Star over the phone on Saturday. Jamal was speaking to The Daily Star about the loss of the jersey.
Jamal further mentioned that Satadru had apologized to him for what had taken place and informed him that Martinez, upon learning of the events that had taken place, also felt a great deal of remorse.
Satadru is quoted as saying, “I am so ashamed [for what happened].” I had no idea that you had such a large fan base or that so many people in Bangladesh have such a soft spot in their hearts for you. Even the local media outlets in Kolkata reported on the news [that you would not be allowed to meet Martinez].
If I had known you were there, I would have made it a point to set up a meeting between the two of you with Martinez.’ Additionally, he stated that Martinez and they felt a great deal of regret regarding the circumstance.
Jamal said regarding Satadru’s apology, “So, he was very apologetic,” when asked about their chat.
Jamal further mentioned that Satadru had mentioned to him that the Bangladesh captain will be the first focus in his upcoming major competition, and that Satadru will give over the jersey to him at that time.
“And he also stated, ‘I plan large events, and you will most certainly be my first priority when it comes to arranging my next event. If you do not want me to deliver the autographed jersey to you by the courier at this time, I will hand it to you personally instead. Jamal said that in response, I had responded, “Yes, that would be fine.”
Jamal further commented on how he had explained to Satadru that the thing that would have been most beneficial for Martinez’s visit to Bangladesh would have been for the World Cup champion to meet the country’s supporters.
When photographs of Argentina fans in Bangladesh went popular on social media during the World Cup in 2014, it brought to light the irrational devotion that Bangladeshi fans have shown for Argentina over the years. Some of the photographs showed crowds numbering in the thousands congregating at the TSC of Dhaka University to watch Argentina’s game on the large screens there.
And according to Jamal, in order for Martinez to “feel the real love of Bangladesh,” he might have been set up for a meet-and-greet with the general population at Dhaka University. This would have been possible if arrangements had been made in advance.
I also shared with Satadru that ‘Martinez had not experience the genuine love that Bangladesh has to offer. He just went to meet some VIPs. Dhaka University would have been the place for him to truly experience the passion that people have for Bangladesh. There was a really nice arrangement that could have been made over there to make him experience the genuine affection that Bangladesh has for him.
“I also told him that anytime there was a game of Argentina in the World Cup in 2022, preparations were made to watch the game at Dhaka University. The World Cup was held in 2022. Therefore, it would have been possible for them to organize a program to present Martinez there. In this way, he would have been able to interact with the public,
When I asked Satadru about it, he said that the organizers of the event [that brought Martinez to Bangladesh] had him meet with VIPs. But I explained to him that such is not acceptable. Martinez traveled all the way to Bangladesh after seeing how much adoration the locals here had for Argentina. Therefore, I conveyed to him that the manner in which it had place was inappropriate, and I also advised him that Martinez ought to have made an appearance in public on a significant platform,” Jamal said.
When it became public knowledge that Jamal and goalkeeper Anisur Rahman Zico were denied permission to meet with Martinez on the previous Monday, it sparked quite a controversy in the media and incited the supporters of Bangladesh football.
After returning from Bengaluru, where the Bangladesh national team was eliminated from the SAFF Championship after playing in their first semifinal in 14 years, Jamal and Zico were leaving the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. They had just come from the city. At that time, Martinez was on his way to Kolkata after departing Dhaka after a visit there that lasted 11 hours. However, Jamal and Zico were unable to meet the Argentine despite their desire to do so.
“[Goalkeeper Anisur Rahman] Zico, [Bangladesh football team attendant] Mohammad Mohsin, and I were the final people to check out from the Airport that day since we were the last people to retrieve our bags. Therefore, Mohsin informed me that “Take a look, it’s Martinez.” At first, we had trouble accepting the fact that it was indeed him.
Then Mohsin made a serious effort to set up a meeting between me and Martinez, but the security officers and organizers who were there would not let it happen. Jamal came to the conclusion that even the media were concerned over the situation [the fact that Jamal was not given the opportunity to meet Martinez].