Championship League starts Saturday

Marcel 4th Bangladesh Championship league, the second-tier professional football league, will get underway on Saturday at two separate venues with the participation of eight teams including three new sides – Chittagong Mohammedan SC, Saif Sporting Club and Karwan Bazar Pragati Sangha.

T&T Club and Saif Sporting Club will play the opening match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium, with Birshreshtha Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur being the other venue.

The details of the league were disclosed at the logo unveiling and signing ceremony with title sponsors, Walton, at the Bangladesh Football Federation headquarters yesterday.

Though the three new outfits got permission to compete in the second-tier league along with five existing clubs, Chittagong Mohammedan's return to mainstream competitions after five years has drawn much attention following the commanding performance from another outfit from port city, Chittagong Abahani, who are top of the Bangladesh Premier League table at the close of the first phase after they won the season's curtain-raiser Independence Cup.

“We could not participate in the Bangladesh Championship League after being relegated to the second-tier in 2011 due to financial constraints, but this time the club management has managed to form a good side to fight,” said Chittagong Mohammedan's football manager Mohammad Yusuf.

“We have signed up only 24 players, most of whom have experience of playing in professional leagues as we want to return to the Bangladesh Premier League,” said Yousuf adding that they have appointed former national striker Alfaz Ahmed as the head coach.    

Apart from Chittagong Mohammedan, Karwan Bazar PS have come to the second-tier league from the Second Division League while Saif SC are a completely new outfit.

With only four days left to start the league, it has not been decided yet how many teams would be promoted to the Bangladesh Premier League next season even though it is all but confirmed that one team will be relegated from the Championship League. 

Each of the participating teams will be given Tk 5 lakh as participation money while the champions and runners-up teams will be awarded Tk 5 and Tk 3 lakh respectively.     

TEAMS:  T&T Club, Bangladesh Police AC, Agrani Bank, Victoria SC, Fakirerpool Young Men's Club, Chittagong Mohammedan SC, Saif Sporting Club and Karwarn Bazar Pragati Sangha.