05/06/2025
FIFA Clears Canadaâs Shamit Som to Play for Bangladesh
World footballâs governing body FIFA has given clearance for Canada national team footballer Shamit Som to play for Bangladesh. The FIFA Playersâ Status Committee has given a positive signal to the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), clearing the way for Shamit to participate in the upcoming AFC Asian Cup qualifier on 10 June in Dhaka.
BFF Vice President Fahad Karim, who has been involved in the approval process from the beginning, confirmed the news. He said, âWe just received a letter from FIFAâs Playersâ Status Committee. Now there are no more formalities left for Shamit to play for Bangladesh.â
FIFAâs letters do not directly state that a player can represent a specific country. Instead, the letter refers to legal clauses that delegate the decision to the concerned national federation. Fahad added, âFIFA cited certain provisions indicating that Shamit is eligible to play for Bangladesh, and BFF can field him if they choose. This is consistent with previous communications from FIFA in similar cases.â
BFF had submitted the application regarding Shamit to the FIFA committee just last night. On why the decision came so quicklyâwithin 24 hoursâFahad said, âFirst, both of Shamitâs parents are Bangladeshi by birth, so the origin is strong. Secondly, although he played for Canadaâs senior team, it wasnât in an official match, which helped the committee reach a swift decision. Additionally, our president had contacted the relevant FIFA department.â
In contrast, it took about four months for English Premier League footballer Hamza Dewan Chowdhury to receive FIFAâs clearance to represent Bangladesh. In Shamitâs case, receiving a decision in just 24 hours is being seen as a success for the current BFF administration.
Shamit expressed his desire to play for Bangladesh on 11 April. Within 25 days, BFF managed to secure his birth certificate, passport, no-objection certificate from Canada, and now FIFAâs clearance. Securing FIFA approval just one day after obtaining his passport is especially commendable.
The journey of diaspora footballers in Bangladeshâs national team began in 2013 with Danish-born Jamal Bhuiyan. Since then, players like Finlandâs Tariq Kazi, Canadaâs Rahbar Khan and Kazem Shah, and Englandâs Hamza Chowdhury have donned the Bangladeshi jersey. Shamit Som is now the latest addition to that list.
