All four registered foreign players will be eligible to play in a match for a side in the fourth edition of the Bangladesh League as per a league committee recommendation made to the Bangladesh Football Federation.
Last season, only three out of five registered foreign players were eligible to take part in a game for a side. The reason behind increasing the number of foreign players taking part this time seems to be to alleviate the loss of traditional giants Mohammedan and Abahani who have lost number of homegrown players to clubs like Muktijoddha Sangsad and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club.
Both Muktijoddha Sangsad and Sheikh Jamal have scooped up star players from Bangladesh League Champions Abahani and Federation Cup champions Mohammedan for the upcoming season.
Losing some of the key players well before the start of the players' transfer, three-time Bangladesh League champions Abahani have started to reorganise their ranks confirming players like veteran Alfaz Ahmed, Arup Buddya, Amit Khan Shuvro, Jitu as well as retaining services of old the guard in Mehdi Hasan Ujjal, Pranotosh Kumar, Nazrul Islam, Abul Hossain, Ibnul Siraji and others.
But their old rivals Mohammedan are in a dilemma and have yet to start roping in players. They plan to begin it in a few days after a club meeting even though the 20-day players' transfer window starts on September 1.
Some pointed their fingers at the 'disorder of the expired ad-hoc committee' of the club for this lackluster state. A big-budgeted Mohammedan clinched the Federation Cup last year but had to be content with a second-place finish in the professional football league behind champions Abahani.
After the approval of Sheikh Jamal in the professional football league, officials of some top clubs raised questions about the inclusion of a new club. BFF president Kazi Sahaluddin defended the decision saying, "I don't know what they said about the inclusion of a new club but they have no reason to since they had not raised any questions when the federation permitted three new clubs in the professional league last season.
"However, the league committee has scrutinised the documents they were provided with before giving Sheikh Jamal permission in line with bylaws," he added.
Last season, three clubs from outside the capital were permitted to take part in the Bangladesh League, two of whom were eventually relegated and the question now raises where they would now play. It may be mentioned that Khulna Abahani were also demoted from the second edition Bangladesh League.
Three editions of the Bangladesh League has so far been completed, but the game's governing body has yet to start a second-tier professional league from where the clubs would be promoted to tier one competition.
"The clubs relegated from the professional football league will play in the second-tier Bangladesh League when it gets underway," said BFF general secretary Al Musabbir Sadi.
The season usually starts with the season's curtain-raising tournament, Federation Cup, but this time it may start between 15 to 20 October with the Tk one-crore Super Cup. However the decision will be taken by the Bangladesh League committee and the Super Cup tournament committee jointly.
Source: thedailystar.net
