Atique Anam

'Time the officials paid back for the sacrifice of players and coaching staff'

In a conversation with The Daily Star, Alfaz Ahmed spoke about the secret of Mohammedan's success in the league and what he expects from the club in the wake of this title triumph.

1m ago

‘Hamza has helped us raise the level and quality of our game’

In this interview with The Daily Star, Bangladesh Football Federation president Tabith Awal spoke about both women's and men's teams and the controversies surrounding football.

3m ago

Bangladesh football riding the Hamza wave

When Bangladesh football team captain Jamal Bhuiyan told the press on Thursday, “It feels our [Lionel] Messi is here,” about the arrival of Hamza Choudhury, he wasn’t exaggerating.

3m ago

Rebel women footballers at a dead end?

The 18 senior players of Bangladesh national women’s team, who have been boycotting training since head coach Peter Butler returned to the country, seem to have shot themselves on the foot after refusing to sign contracts offered by the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) on Monday.

5m ago

The World Cup should not be a mere extension of the IPL

For those cricket fans who have got used to enjoying the sight of batters steamrolling bowlers of all ilk over the past 65 days or so, will the forthcoming T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies may prove to be a bit of a turn-off.

1y ago

Should Murshedy get away with sweeping dirt under the rug?

In stark contrast to many developed nations where people in power often relinquish their positions in face of charges of corruption or incompetence even before allegations are proved in a show of true accountability -- there is a disturbing tendency to brush aside all sorts of allegations, even after proven, under the rug by the people in power in countries like Bangladesh, which ranks among the lowest in various corruption indexes.

1y ago

History-makers Kings playing a different ball-game

After referee Symoon Hasan Sunny blew the final whistle following Bashundhara Kings’ 2-1 win against Mohammedan in Mymensingh yesterday, ensuring the Kings’ historic fifth consecutive title of the Bangladesh Premier League, two-goal hero Dorielton Gomes sunk to his knees before laying on the ground, thanking the heavens for what they had just achieved.

1y ago

Cabrera losing Salahuddin’s trust?

The BFF boss watched from the VIP Box of the Bashundhara Kings Arena on Tuesday as Bangladesh conceded a stoppage time goal in a 1-0 home loss against the Middle Eastern nation, five days after being thrashed 5-0 by the same side in Kuwait.

1y ago
February 26, 2022
February 26, 2022

Could shooting be the guiding light again?

The reason for this premonition is simple: there will be no shooting event in Birmingham, the first time the discipline has been dropped from the roster of the multisport event for the Commonwealth of Nations.

February 17, 2022
February 17, 2022

Bashundhara Kings Arena set for historic debut

The Bashundhara Kings Arena is set to become the first privately-owned football ground to host a match of the Bangladesh Premier League, the top-tier professional football of the country.

January 15, 2022
January 15, 2022

A new beginning or another year wasted?

As Bangladesh national football team braces for a new beginning under new coach Javier Cabrera with optimism that things will finally take a positive turn after a year of turmoil, experimentation and failure, time is probably right to remind everyone that things can only change as much as they want it to change.

December 26, 2021
December 26, 2021

Fed Cup fiasco brings to fore myriad conflicts of interest

The Federation Cup descended into farce on Friday after the defending champions Bashundhara Kings declined to participate, explaining their position to the game’s local governing body 24 hours before the start of the tournament.

December 13, 2021
December 13, 2021

‘Competing at top level requires top level training’

Bangladesh’s premier golfer Siddikur Rahman has returned to the country from his five-month stay in the USA with the realisation that playing in the top-level golf competitions requires top level training.

September 19, 2021
September 19, 2021

Unprofessional and desperate

Unprofessional and desperate is how football pundits are reacting to Bangladesh Football Federation’s (BFF) decision to replace national team’s head coach Jamie Day with Bashundhara Kings coach Oscar Bruzon for two months.

June 17, 2021
June 17, 2021

Time for a tactical shift?

As Bangladesh woke up to the news that they were allowed qualification for the final round of the Asian Cup qualifiers, despite not meeting the previously-thought criteria following a fifth-place finish in Group E on the previous night, the pertinent question that surfaced was what they can do with this luck? Can they turn it into good fortune by stretching their ability to its limit or just accept it as a generous gift from football’s Asian governing body (AFC) and be pleased with it?

March 7, 2021
March 7, 2021

March window solved, what about May?

On Friday night, the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) issued a press release saying it will organise a tri-nation tournament involving Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan Olympic team and the host country.

February 22, 2021
February 22, 2021

AFC can’t bow down to Afghan pressure

The governing body of Asian football, AFC, on Thursday issued a statement following discussions with its member associations, saying that a majority of the remaining World Cup/Asian Cup qualifying fixtures of Round-2 have been deferred to June in light of existing travel and quarantine restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic across the continent.

January 10, 2021
January 10, 2021

Can Toyota beat Ferrari?

It should be a battle between the experience and riches of Bashundhara Kings against the youthful exuberance of Saif Sporting Club in the final of the Walton Federation Cup as the country’s football begins to see shift of power.