Bangladesh football team returns home after being stuck for 3 days in Nepal amid violent protest

After a wait of three days, the Bangladesh national football team has finally returned home. The players landed at Dhaka's Kurmitola Military Airport at 4:30 PM on a special Bangladesh Air Force flight from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal. Journalists who had travelled to Nepal to cover the Bangladesh-Nepal match also returned on the same flight.

Earlier in the day, the Bangladesh team left the Crown Imperial Hotel in Kathmandu and arrived at the airport at 8:45 AM local time. After completing immigration procedures, the team boarded their flight at 2:55 PM.

On Tuesday, protests in Nepal against corruption and mismanagement turned violent, leading to the resignation of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli. Protesters vandalised the homes of politicians and set fire to government buildings and the parliament. Thirty people were killed in two days of violence. As a result, Tribhuvan International Airport was shut down.

The Bangladesh team had travelled to Nepal on 3 September and played a friendly match against Nepal on 6 September. A second match was scheduled for 9 September, but due to the unrest, the team was confined to their hotel.

Authorities reopened the airport on Wednesday evening. Although Bangladesh had hoped to return that night, efforts to arrange a special flight from Dhaka were unsuccessful. Eventually, the 32-member contingent—including players, coaches, and staff—returned to Dhaka today on a special flight.

The national team's next challenge is the Asian Cup qualifiers. In October, Bangladesh will face Hong Kong in two matches in the third round of the competition—first on 9 October in Dhaka and then on 14 October in Hong Kong.