Samit Chooses To Play in Bangladesh After Watching Hamza

Samit: Expatriate footballers are making an impact on Bangladeshi football, and the Bangladesh Football Federation is taking steps to support this. Football fans are excited about it. After Hamza Dewan Chowdhury, who played in the English Premier League, many more expatriate players are eager to join the team. Canadian footballer Samit Som is following in those footsteps and has already applied for a Bangladeshi passport at the consulate in Canada.

For years, there had been discussions about Samit Som playing for Bangladesh, but he never made a decision back then. Samit only made his intention clear after Hamza’s debut for Bangladesh. After working in sports journalism for two decades, Abu Sadat is now living in Canada. On Friday, Sadat visited the Bangladesh Consulate in Toronto to mark Samit’s arrival. During this visit, Sadat and Samit discussed various topics.

In their conversation, they talked about why Samit, a Canadian footballer, decided to play for Bangladesh, his goals, and the reaction from fans. Samit, who is making progress towards playing for Bangladesh, said, “It’s exciting. Everything feels real now that I’m here. I hope to get my passport and FIFA approval soon so I can play for Bangladesh.”

Samit explained why he chose to play for Bangladesh, saying, “I’ve noticed that Bangladesh’s football has improved a lot. Hamza Chowdhury is playing for them now, and if he can, why can’t I? He’s a big player. Also, I know footballers like Tariq Kazi, Jamal Bhuiyan, Kazem Shah, and Sayed from the Bangladesh team. That’s why I was interested in playing. I was just waiting for the right time.”

The Canadian footballer is hopeful about playing in the Bangladesh match against Singapore on June 10, saying, “I hope everything goes well, and I’ll be able to play.” Although Samit has visited Bangladesh before, he believes this time will be “different and exciting.” The country’s football fans are already excited about him on social media, and Samit shared, “I’m getting a lot of feedback. I’m happy.” He aims to perform well on the field and thanks everyone for their messages and wishes.

Samit, who plays for the Canadian national football team, showed interest in playing for Bangladesh on April 11. Following that, the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) issued his Bangladeshi birth certificate. A week later, Samit applied for a passport. Yesterday, his club played a match in Toronto, and Samit completed his passport application in the morning before the game in the evening. The BFF has already received approval from the Canadian Football Federation for Samit to play. Now, they will apply to the FIFA Player Status Committee. If they get approval, Samit will be ready to play for Bangladesh.