World football's governing body, FIFA, has confirmed that Samit Som, who previously played for the Canada national football team, is now eligible to represent Bangladesh.
FIFA's Player Status Committee today conveyed this positive news to the Bangladesh Football Federation.
As a result, there are no further obstacles preventing Samit from playing in the Asian Cup qualifier match scheduled for June 10th in Dhaka.
BAFUFE Vice-President Fahad Karim, who has been involved in Samit's clearance process from the beginning, commented on FIFA's approval, stating, "We received the letter from FIFA's Player Status Committee a short while ago. Now, there are no remaining formalities for Samit to play for Bangladesh."
FIFA's letters typically do not explicitly state a player's eligibility for a specific country. Instead, they refer to relevant legal clauses, leaving the final decision to the concerned national federation.
Fahad explained, "By citing certain clauses, FIFA has informed us that Samit is eligible to play for Bangladesh, and BAFUFE can field him if they wish. FIFA has conveyed similar messages in the past."
BAFUFE submitted the application regarding Samit to the FIFA Player Status Committee just last night. Regarding the swift response within 24 hours, Fahad Karim attributed it to several factors: "Firstly, both his parents are Bangladeshi by birth, establishing a strong origin. Secondly, although he played for Canada's senior team, those were not official matches, allowing the Player Status Committee to make a quick decision. Additionally, our President contacted the relevant department at FIFA."
In contrast, English Premier League player Hamza Dewan Choudhury took around four months to receive FIFA's clearance to play for Bangladesh. The positive news regarding Samit in just 24 hours is being seen by many as a significant achievement for the current BAFUFE administration.
Samit expressed his desire to play for Bangladesh on April 11th. Within 25 days, BAFUFE managed to secure his birth certificate, passport, No Objection Certificate from Canada, and FIFA clearance. Notably, obtaining FIFA clearance within a day of his passport being issued is being widely praised.
The journey of overseas footballers representing the Bangladesh national team began in 2013 with Jamal Bhuiyan, who hails from Denmark.
Following Jamal, Tariq Kazi from Finland, Rahbar Khan and Kazem Shah from Canada, and Hamza Choudhury from England have donned the Bangladesh jersey. Samit Som is now set to join this list.
