Football in Bangladesh

The Bangladesh War of Independence led to the formation of a new state on the world map in 1971. In order to lay the foundations of a peaceful life, football began to develop in the country. 16 matches were held by the so-called Free Bengal national football team in India, and in 2009 its results were recognized by the Bangladesh Football Federation ^[3] . Until the 1990s, a football boom reigned in the country, especially in {[np3 | Dhaka League | Dhaka League | en | Dhaka League}}, where famous club teams appeared - the Dhaka Wanderers, Victoria, “Vari”, “Muhameddan”, “Gimkhana”, national teams of railway and fire services. In the late 1940s, games began between the teams of West Bengal and East Pakistan ^[4] . The first Dhaka championship was won by the Victoria Club in 1948, three years before the start of the movement for the native language in Bengal. The Dhaka League was considered one of the most prestigious in South Asia from the 1970s to the 1990s, where former players from leading eastern clubs soon began to play. Bangladesh clubs - BCSP and Bangladesh Red - performed in international club tournaments such as the Aga Khan Gold Cup , President’s Golden Cup, Dana Cup and the Gothia Cup . In 1990, BCPS won the last two trophies, and Bangladesh Red won the President’s Gold Cup in 1989. In addition, in 1985, the Quaid-E-Azam club won the Trophy of Pakistan, in 1995 - the tournament in Myanmar, and in 2003 - the Bhutanese memorial to Jigme Wangchuk ^[3] .

The greatest player in Bangladesh’s history is Kazi Salahuddin who played in the 1979 Hong Kong Championship ^[5] and later became president of the Bangladesh Football Federation, which was founded in 1972. The national team made its debut against Thailand in 1973 at the Merdeka tournament in Malaysia. After Bangladesh joined FIFA in 1974 and the AFC, the national team took part in the 1980 Asian Cup (its only one), and also began to play in the qualifiers for the World Cup, where it had never been selected. The highest achievement of the national team remains the title of champions of South Asia 2003, as well as two victories at the South Asian Games in 1999 and 2006 ^[3] .

The Austrian specialist György Cottan and the German Otto Pfister , who brought the Côte d'Ivoire team to the 2006 World Cup, were invited to the team at different times. In 2006, Bangladesh reached the quarter finals of the AFC Challenge Cup under the leadership of the Argentinean Andres Krusiani , and in 2010 he won the South Asian Games under the leadership of Zoran Dzhorzhevich , who resigned in February of the same year. On September 6, 2011 in Bangladesh at the Bangabandu Stadium, a match was held between the national teams of Argentina and Nigeria , in which world football star Lionel Messi took part, and Bangladeshi national team players were among the spectators at the stadium ^[6] . Another important milestone in the history of the national teams was the day on November 4, 2018, when the Bangladesh national football team, made up of teenagers under the age of 15, won the South Asian championship by beating their peers from Pakistan on a penalty spot ^[7] .

Bangladeshi Football Federation It was founded on July 15, 1972, joining the AFC in 1973 and the FIFA in 1974. She is responsible for organizing club championships, managing a professional league and teams of Bangladesh of all categories. The Federation is collaborating with the AFK Vision Asia program to develop the country's football infrastructure. In April 2008, Kazi Salahuddin ^[8] , re-elected to this post on April 4, 2012 ^[9], became its president.

Clubs

There are 4100 clubs in the country ^[10] . The oldest clubs in the country are BCSS, Dhaka Wanderers, Victoria, Vari, Gimkhan and Azad, one of the youngest clubs by the date of formation - Ababani Limited, Muhammedan, Muktijoddha, Brothers Union, Sheikh Dajmal Dhanmondi and Sheikh Russell. Clubs compete in international tournaments - the AFC President’s Cup and the Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup.

Championships

• Premier League Bangladesh (B-League), highest level. Replaced the Dhaka League.
• Bangladesh League Championship, second level.
• National Football Championship, third level, semi-professional tournament.
• Bangladesh Federation Cup , national cup.
• Bangladesh Super Cup , the most budget tournament.

Regional Tournaments: League Daki, League Chittagong, League Raishani, League Cox's Bazar and League Comilla

• Kazi Salahuddin
• Sheikh Aslam
• Said Hassan Kanan
• Sayed Abdus Samad
• Kaiser Hamid
• Aminul Oke
• Rajan Kanta Barman
• Anvar Uddin
• Shahed Ahmed

In a country where the majority of the population is Muslim, the idea of ​​women's football was perceived with great reluctance. Only in November 2007, as part of the Vision Asia program, Bangladesh hosted the first football tournament with eight women's teams. Despite all the risks and threats, the tournament was held at a high level without incident ^[11] . In October 2008, a tournament was held as part of the Vision Bangladesh program under the leadership of the Bangladesh Football Federation with the goal of further developing the game among women ^[12] . Since 2010, the women's football tournament has been part of the program of the South Asian Games, and in 2010 the games were held in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh team at that tournament became a bronze medalist.

• Bangladeshi Football Federation Official Website