Bangladesh women footballers demand removal of coach Butler, threaten mass retirement

The players of the Bangladesh women's football team have accused head coach Peter Butler of mental harassment, misconduct, and mistreatment. In protest, they have declared that they will no longer play under his supervision.

At a press conference held at the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) headquarters on Thursday, 18 players, including Sabina Khatun and Monika Chakma, read out a written statement demanding the coach’s removal. They warned that if the BFF remains firm on retaining the British coach, they would consider mass resignation, believing their contribution to the country’s football is no longer valued.

Reports of discontent against Butler are not new. Concerns were first raised in October last year during Bangladesh’s SAFF Championship campaign. Despite these allegations, BFF recently renewed Butler’s contract for another two years, triggering this week's intense player revolt.

According to their complaint, the players alleged that Butler misbehaved with them both on and off the field, made inappropriate jokes, and created divisions between senior and junior players. He also allegedly made comments about their attire, engaged in body-shaming, and passed offensive remarks about their personal lives.

In a letter addressed to BFF President Tabith Awal, the female footballers stated that Butler’s behaviour had caused severe distress within the team. They claimed that over the last six months, they had endured verbal abuse, mental harassment, and multiple instances of mistreatment from the coach.

The players expressed hope that the BFF president would take their concerns seriously and provide an immediate resolution to the issue.