There is no shame in losing against a team that is better than you, provided that your performance was amazing enough to win over the hearts of supporters and impartial observers alike.
This was shown once again by Bangladesh on Saturday when they competed against Kuwait in the semi-finals of the 2023 SAFF Championship. Bishwanath Ghosh and his colleagues performed on the field with the ferocity of warriors. The 24-year-old reflected on his trip in the most recent regional competition, as well as his path as a professional footballer and other topics, during a conversation with Anisur Rahman of The Daily Star. These are the passages that were taken:
The Daily Star (DS): What was your motivation for announcing a monetary incentive of 5 lakh taka?
Bishwanath Ghosh (BG): In point of fact, I had first said that I would give TK 5 lakh if we were able to make it to the final, but then I changed my mind and decided to arrange it for the match against Kuwait instead. Despite the fact that this sum of money is not too great for the national players, I had the impression that other players could sense the players’ desire to win.
DS: What aspects of your routine contributed to such reliable performance?
BG: In the last ten years, I don’t believe there has ever been such profound connecting, devotion, and emotion among the players as there is right now. If you hadn’t seen it for yourself, you probably wouldn’t believe that players like Jamal [Bhuiyan], Tapu [Barman], [Anisur Rahman] Zico, myself, [Faisal Ahmed] Fahim, and others, as well as ball-boy Mohsin and assistant coach Hasan Al Mamum, were all crying throughout every team meeting.
We dared to dream big, and now the very same individuals who earlier berated us with hurtful words because we were unable to live up to their expectations are complimenting us on how well we have performed.
DS: What criteria do you use to assess the performance as a whole?
BG: When it comes down to it, (the ability to influence destiny) is not in our hands at all. Takeaways from the competition might include things like having self-belief, being consistent, or having a fighting mindset. except from my point of view, there is nothing except sadness associated with it.
DS: We are so close, but so far away. How do you feel now that the match is over?
BG: In order to defeat us, we drove Kuwait to its breaking point. To tell you the truth, every player put forth a lot of effort throughout. It’s been between four and five years since I’ve seen Bangladesh perform, and I can’t remember whether they did anything like this.
DS: How did you go about developing your game such that it could be used as a workhorse?
BG: My childhood coach Jamil sir placed more of an emphasis on sprinting rather than playing with the ball when he first started me out in football in Tangail. This was when Raihan Hasan, a national player, was my mentor. In preparation for the 15-minute matches that were played at the 2011 Danone Nations Cup, Jamil sir worked with the Tangail squad for a total of 90 minutes every day. Additionally, he prepared us for an hour and a half each and every day for the ten-minute game that Bangladesh had to play in South Africa in order to become champions.
After that, we were able to reach endurance at the age of 14, and ever since then, I’ve been used to putting in a lot of effort. Naturally, there are moments when I’m exhausted, but the prospect of not being able to run for the whole hour motivates me to keep going.
DS: You have a propensity for losing your cool. Reasons?
BG: I will claim it’s my terrible habit. On the other hand, I have improved as a result of my past errors. To tell you the truth, I am unable to accept any incorrect judgments made by the referees or any fouls that are called against my teammates for no apparent reason since we all play for both the national team and the club team.
DS: What has been your driving force ever since you were in U-12?
BG: It was Raihan bhai who encouraged me to play football, and ever since then, I’ve made it a point to make the most of every chance I’ve had, whether I was practicing or really playing for a team. I remain committed to making the most of each and every chance by giving it my best.
There may not be another national player like me who has participated in every national age-group team. I don’t believe there is. In addition, it is an entirely unique experience to be able to represent Bangladesh since doing so is a source of immense pride, and not everyone is given the chance to do so. Because we had been exposed to so much information on the Liberation War of 1971, we were able to really feel that [spirit] when competing for the national team.
DS: What are your opinions on Javier Cabrera’s comment that Bangladesh should ensure that it always adheres to the most recent standard?
BG: I don’t believe it’s fair that Bangladesh is now ranked so low in the FIFA standings. My opinion is that our level ought to be higher than what we shown in the SAFF Championship in the year 2023. In order to raise our standards to the world level, we will, of course, need to exercise caution and honesty. If India was able to do it, there’s no reason we couldn’t either!
DS: We are aware of the contribution that your wife has made to your achievement.
BG: At first, she was not very knowledgeable about football, but now she has a good grasp of the subject. During the epidemic, she was a tremendous assistance to me in maintaining my fitness and in other ways as well. I believe that she is more conscious than I am of the way that I eat, work out, and train than I am. She pushes me to finish the regimen even on the days when I don’t feel like going to the gym or engaging in other forms of physical exercise. Also, I believe that by keeping in contact with the wife of the Indian player Pritam Kotal, she is better able to understand how to aid me in my endeavors.