Aminul Haque the former Bangladesh football captain said that
“If you forget that Shakib became an MP while still being a player enticed by the temptations of an illegitimate government then it would be a betrayal of the blood that was shed and the lives that were lost,”
He had promised to arrive by 5:30 PM. Accordingly, he left for his destination after addressing a public gathering in Hatirjheel. But heavy traffic caused delays, and the time approached for his scheduled courtyard meeting with elderly residents in his constituency in Pallabi.
So he called to request a change of timing, saying, “It’s better if I finish everything and come at once.”
Eventually, it was around 10 PM when Aminul Haque, now a BNP leader and convener of BNP’s Dhaka North unit, arrived at the studio of Kaler Kantho Digital for their regular interview series “On and Off the Field.” By the time the question-answer session ended, it was already midnight.
Still, the former goalkeeper remained lively and thankful for the discipline football had instilled in him. “The fitness I built from football is now helping me in politics, especially because I have to speak all day,” he shared. “Yet, I never feel tired.”
Even after wrapping up the late-night interview, many party activists waited outside Kaler Kantho office just to meet him. It took even more time as he smiled and bid them all farewell.
Though he is now a full-time politician, it’s impossible to speak to Aminul without bringing up football. On the recent efforts to revive football in Bangladesh using expatriate players, he acknowledged the initiative but remained critical:
“Bringing in expatriates might help temporarily, but for real progress, we must go back to the grassroots. Tournaments like the Suhrawardy Cup and Maa-Moni Gold Cup need to be revived,” said the 2003 SAFF Championship-winning goalkeeper.
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On the evening of this interview, former Awami League MP Naimur Rahman had been arrested—a topic that naturally came up in conversation.
Shakib Al Hasan, due to his association as an MP with the same ruling party, now struggles to return home freely. Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, another cricketer-turned-MP, has also stepped away from the public eye. When asked about them, Aminul’s voice wasn’t accusatory but he did clarify his stance:
“The state will decide what to do about Shakib, who became an MP in an illegitimate parliament and a partner in autocracy. But if people forget that he was seduced into becoming an MP while still playing, it would be a betrayal of those who bled and died.”
