Bangladesh sack Italian coach Lopez

DHAKA: Bangladesh football chiefs sacked Italian coach Fabio Lopez on Tuesday after a disastrous three-month stint in charge of the national team, with a 4-0 home defeat to Australia.
“We’ve decided to terminate the contract with the current head coach Fabio Lopez,” Bangladesh Football Federation vice-president Kazi Nabil Ahmed said.
The 42-year-old was appointed in September, taking over from Dutchman Lodewijk de Kruif, but he failed to win any of his matches in charge.
Lopez also presided over two other defeats in the qualifying rounds for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, against Kyrgyzstan (2-0) and Tajikistan (5-0).
The team fared little better on a recent tour of China, losing twice against club sides.
Local coach Maruful Haque was named as Lopez’s replacement, although it was not clear how long he would stay in charge.