NoFeL to join Championship League exodus

NoFeL Sporting Club are poised to follow Muktijoddha Sangsad KS and Fortis FC Academy in joining the exodus from the upcoming Bangladesh Championship League (BCL), threatening the country's second-tier professional football with a participant shortage.

NoFeL general secretary Shakhawat Hossain Bhuiyan Shahin said that Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) would soon be informed of the decision.

"The club president [former BFF vice-president Tabith Awal] on Wednesday had let me know the decision of not playing the upcoming BCL, though I have taken all preparation to form the squad after confirming 24 players and the coaching staff," Shakhawat told The Daily Star on Friday.

"We are supposed to make an agreement with players and coaching staff after the national elections," he added.

Initially designed with 11 clubs, the 2023-24 season's BCL will now be a seven-team competition -- commencing in the first week of February following the completion of player registration formalities on January 25.

The second-tier professional football league failed to attract clubs after its inception in 2012, with the first six editions having seven to eight clubs and the final five editions featuring ten to 12 teams.

"By making such a decision, the players will have a difficult time finding another team to play in the BCL," Shakhawat added, revealing that Tabith Awal is their major financier.

After being promoted, NoFeL played Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) in the 2018-19 season but were again relegated to the second-tier league. They went on to finish second and third before becoming fifth in the last season.

However, Fortis and Muktijoddha -- both demoted from the top-tier BPL last season -- withdrew their names from the BCL before registration deadline.

Fortis FC manager Rashedul Islam told The Daily Star, "Actually, it has been tough to ensure the facilities of two outfits in top-tier and second-tier professional football leagues. Apart from ensuring all facilities of Fortis FC in BPL, we are struggling to provide the same for Fortis FC Academy.

"Besides, we've also decided to go back to our roots by playing Pioneer Football League to groom the youngsters. As a result of these two factors, we have decided to remove Fortis FC Academy from BCL."

For Muktijoddha, the primary reason for their withdrawal boiled down to financial constraints. Dr. Jahurul Islam Rohel, the administrator of Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad Central Command Council, wrote to the BFF stating they would not participate in the BCL owing to a lack of funds.

Meanwhile, Azampur FC, another demoted BPL team, were set to compete in the upcoming BCL but a FIFA-imposed ban owing to unpaid wages to their foreign players prohibited them from doing so.