Lodewijk De Kruif

Bangladesh national team coach Lodewijk de Kruif will not be able to stand in the dugout for the World Cup and Asia Cup Qualifiers fixture against Australia next month as a previously imposed one-match suspension has been extended by another match by FIFA.

The 45-year-old coach was sent off during the match between Bangladesh and Kyrgyzstan on June 11 as he had allegedly hurled abusive words towards match officials and kept kicking water bottles despite being warned by the fourth official. The Dutchman watched the rest of the match and the subsequent match against Tajikistan on June 16 from the gallery.

Now after having considered the gravity of the offense, FIFA has extended the suspension by another match and slapped him with a fine of 7500 Swiss francs (7620 US dollars) along with another 1000 Swiss francs as procedural expense.

Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) general secretary, Abu Nayeem Shohag, has expressed his displeasure over the incident and claimed that the coach will have to bear the fine himself.

“The National Teams Committee is unhappy with de Kruif's attitude on the pitch and termed it unacceptable and unprofessional,” said Shohag.

It is not the first time that de Kruif has been suspended; the Dutchman was expelled from the dug-out during the 2013 SAFF Championship match against India and was subsequently handed a ban for the match against Pakistan.

The 45-year-old coach is expected to return from Netherlands on August 17 to take charge of the side ahead of their friendly match away to Malaysia on August 29 and the September 3 fixture against Australia in Perth. Assistant coach Saiful Bari Titu, who will guide the national under-19 side in the SAFF U-19 Championship in Nepal from August 20-29, is expected to return on August 30 and fly immediately for Australia.