Bangladesh women footballers to resume training under Butler after boycott

The BFF's women's wing chief says the rift between the players and the coach stemmed from “a misunderstanding"

The Bangladesh women footballers will resume training under Peter Butler after ending their boycott following a rift with the coach over his “inappropriate behaviour”, Bangladesh Football Federation women’s wing chief Mahfuza Akhter Kiron has said.

Kironmet with Sabina Khatun and her teammates at the BFF Bhaban on Sunday.

“The [BFF] president and I kept trying to bring the girls back… What I can say after the meeting today is that the girls will come back to training, but not right now. That’s because the camp will close on Feb 24 as we’ll travel to the United Arab Emirates for a couple of matches,” she said.

“The senior players are seeking a break and they’ll get one in the meantime. Then they’ll begin training after returning. Before they start the training, what we’ll do is sit together with the highest BFF authority, the president, the girls and the coach to resolve the misunderstanding that occurred.”

On Jan 30, as many as 18 players led by Sabina alleged Butler of “cursing, body shaming and mental abuse”.

In an open letter to the media, the group of players accused the 58-year-old coach of favouritism, dividing the team, making inappropriate comments about players' personal lives and insulting them.

"If he stays, with due respect to the coach, we will leave here with our self-respect," Sabina told reporters that day.

Kiron described the situation as a “misunderstanding”.

“[The rebel players] realised it was a misunderstanding and have reconsidered. They’ll practice and stay in camp together, but these things won’t go smoothly if misunderstandings and dissatisfaction persists,” she said.

“The girls told me that they’ll train and sign contracts after coming back. That is a positive for us,” she added.

She continued: “I sat with 18 players and all of them said this, not just one. I also told them that I’ll call a press conference and that’s when the captain and others assured me about returning. This is unconditional -- the girls did not say anything like [not returning if the coach stays]."

Butler, on the other hand, had retaliated by telling the probe committee, which formed to investigate the matter, that he would not coach the team if “some particular” players remained.

Kiron declined to comment on this issue.

“I did not speak to the coach, so I can’t say anything about it.”

Former West Ham United midfielder Butler, who has previously coached the men's national teams of Botswana and Liberia, took charge of the national women's team in March 2024, with Bangladesh winning their second straight SAFF Women's Championship title in October under his tutelage.

Monika Chakma, Masura Parvin, Shamsun Nahar Sr, Ritu Porna Chakma, Maria Manda, Rupna Chakma, Shamsun Nahar Jr, Sanjida Akter, Sheuli Azim, Tohura Khatun, Nilufar Yasmin Nila, Krishna Rani Sarkar, Matsushima Sumaiya and Sabina Khatun are among the players who boycotted training.

The odds of these players appearing in the friendlies against the UAE on Feb 26 and Mar 2 were next to none. The coach will travel to the UAE with a fresh team on Feb 24.