The Bangladesh national football team is finally on its way back home after being stranded in Nepal for several days due to political unrest. 

Midfielder Jamal Bhuiyan and his teammates arrived at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport earlier this morning, with a special flight scheduled to depart for Dhaka shortly after 11:30am local time.

Journalists who had travelled to Nepal to cover the Bangladesh-Nepal friendly matches are also expected to return on the same flight.

Air traffic in Nepal came to a standstill on September 9 following the ousting of the government amid widespread protests led by students and civil society groups. Kathmandu airport remained closed for over 36 hours before operations resumed on Wednesday evening. 

In coordination with the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), the Bangladesh embassy in Kathmandu, and the government, emergency arrangements were made to ensure the safe return of the team.

With the situation gradually stabilising, the players are now finally able to make their way back. BFF General Secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag confirmed that the authorities made every effort to secure the safe return of both the footballers and the media personnel.

The team had travelled to Kathmandu for two scheduled friendly matches. However, the second match on September 9 was cancelled due to the intensifying unrest. 

The team’s planned departure on the same day was also thwarted by the airport closure, forcing Jamal, Rakib, and the rest of the squad to remain confined to their hotel for two additional days.

Tensions began to rise sharply in the Nepali capital on September 8, prompting authorities to impose a curfew in an attempt to quell the protests. As the situation escalated, training sessions were cancelled and matches postponed. 

SMS/