Bangladesh national team head coach Phil Simmons on Friday urged his players to avoid social media and condemned the racial abuse towards wicketkeeper-batter Jaker Ali.
The national team players received a hostile reception upon their return from the UAE tour, where they were clean swept by Afghanistan in a three-match ODI series.聽
Following that opener Mohammad Naim responded in a post on his official Facebook page, but Simmons was not pleased with it.
鈥業鈥檓 glad you brought it up because, first of all, I don鈥檛 agree with players having anything to do with social media,鈥� Simmons said in a press conference ahead of their first ODI against the West Indies.聽
鈥業t is your right as a person to be on social media, to say what you want on social media. But as an international player, as a national player for Bangladesh, my players should not be there,鈥� he added.聽
Simmons then mentioned Jaker being abused with a racial tone.聽
鈥楤ut I would say one thing鈥攊t is not nice to bring racial tones into anything to do with players. I don鈥檛 care where you鈥檙e from; the racial part of it I am disgusted with, against Jaker Ali,鈥� he said.聽
鈥楾hat鈥檚 not nice. But to tell you, I don鈥檛 want my players answering anything on social media,鈥� he added.聽
However, incidents related to Jaker brought back the controversial comments鈥攁lbeit in support of him鈥攎ade by Mohammad Salauddin, the current senior assistant coach of the national team.聽
鈥楳aybe the boy鈥檚 complexion is a bit dark; that鈥檚 probably why, I feel, the board doesn鈥檛 really notice him properly,鈥� Salahuddin, the then head coach of Cumilla Victorians, said in February 2024.聽
Simmons, however, also admitted that he had been aware of that remark when he was reminded of that by some reporters after the official press conference.聽
