Return leg on November 12

Football: A local head coach will lead the Bhutanese squad on November 12 for the game against China at the He Long Stadium in Changsha, Hunan province.

Although Bhutan Football Federation (BFF) has not decided on who should be leading the team, both Chokey Nima and Pema are on the top of the list for the role of the head coach.

There are unofficial reports linking the former Pune FC coach, Karim Bencherifa to be the new coach of Bhutan. However, BFF officials said nothing is confirmed on hiring  new coach.

Chokey Nima, the man who delivered the nation’s first historic win against Sri Lanka in the first round of the World Cup qualifier, may once again head the team against China. The technical director with the federation is currently heading the under-19 national team.

Another option is Pema, the interim head coach who took over the team after the premature departure of the Japanese coach. Pema who gave a new hope to the team during the game against Hong Kong on Tuesday might as well be likely option for the federation.

After the performance of the squad under him that stunned the Hongkongers on the home ground, Pema might once again lead the team in China. He had been serving as the assistant coach during the whole qualification rounds.

Meanwhile, as a gesture of appreciation BFF has announced that each member of the squad would be given a sum of Nu 25,000 each on the “brilliant performance” delivered by the players against Hong Kong. The news was first broken on the federations’ Facebook page after the match.

The team also received a cake from Their Majesties on the eve of Their Majesties’ fourth wedding anniversary on Tuesday.

Younten Tshedup