The Reds went to Kolkata to play their first match in this year's competition against East Bengal including Aminul on the roster. But the country's number one goalkeeper was not allowed to play as tournament officials said that the one-match suspension due to his red card against Lebanese club Nijmeh in the last game of the previous season, naturally makes him ineligible for the next match. This is an obvious ruling in any competition which the Muktijoddha team management somehow failed to understand. Instead, they became an embarrassment for the country by taking Aminul to India with them.

When the issue was raised during a press briefing at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday, Muktijoddha officials including coach Shafiqul Islam Manik surprisingly defended their position and pointed fingers at the AFC and the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF).

"We should not take the responsibility because it was not our fault or ignorance. It was the duty of the BFF and the AFC to inform us," claimed manager Abdus Sattar. Coach Manik also echoed with the same sentiment at the press briefing but later, he admitted that this kind of an incident happened because of lack of experience.

BFF general secretary Anwarul Haque Helal, also present at the briefing, however blasted Muktijoddha for their ignorance about international football's laws.

"It was Muktijoddha's fault. It is a very simple conclusion that a player will not be allowed to play a match if he has seen a red card in the previous fixture," said Helal.