Published : 04 Sep 2026, 10:16 PM
Updated : 16 Sep 2026, 11:47 AM
The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has sacked Under-20 coach Gerard Jones ahead of Sunday’s AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualifier against India after a poor run of results and a series of off-field disputes.
In a statement on Friday, BFF said the English coach had been relieved of his duties.
Assistant coach Atiqur Rahman Mishu will take charge on an interim basis for the remainder of the qualifying campaign.
Bangladesh have lost both of their matches so far, going down 2-0 to Uzbekistan and 3-0 to Syria.
They face India in their third and final group match on Sunday and must win to retain any hope of reaching the tournament proper, while also relying on other results.
Uzbekistan lead the group with six points, while India and Syria have three each. Bangladesh are yet to get off the mark.
Jones had also been at the centre of several off-field issues in recent weeks.
He had spoken on social media about unpaid wages and concerns over his security before those matters were later resolved.
Reports also emerged of a dispute between Jones and Mishu, with further claims of tension between the two after the team travelled to Uzbekistan for the qualifiers.
BFF appointed Jones on a two-year contract in June.
Besides coaching the age-group sides, he had been tasked with identifying and developing young players.
