BFF league committee expands player slots, adjusts calendar amid club uncertainty

The emergency meeting of Bangladesh Football Federation's professional league management committee yesterday came to a decision to increase the player registration limit from 36 to 40 in a bid to accommodate more players in each of the participating clubs, especially after a few clubs opted out of the upcoming football season.

The participating clubs will also have the opportunity to compete in three competitions instead of the five originally listed in the yearly calendar.

"We have so far received a letter only from Sheikh Russel KC, indicating that they will not take part in the league. If they don't participate, it will be challenging for those players to find new teams. From that perspective, we have increased the player registration limit from 36 to 40 so that other clubs can recruit Sheikh Russel's players," said Imrul Hasan, chairman of the professional league management committee and BFF vice president, after the meeting.

There have also been rumours that Sheikh Jamal DC and Chittagong Abahani may miss the upcoming season, but Imrul believes both teams will participate as they have not submitted any official letter to the governing body.

The meeting also approved a three-day extension for player registration, now set to close on August 22, as per FIFA's directives.

"We initially planned to hold five competitions in a calendar year, but that plan has been revised to three competitions – the Challenge Cup [one match between the champions of the Bangladesh Premier League and the Federation Cup], the Federation Cup, and the Bangladesh Premier League," said Imrul, who is also the president of Bashundhara Kings. He added that the season is likely to be shorter than the previous one as clubs are struggling to secure sponsors.

The organisers also informed that the start of the season, which was initially scheduled for mid-September, will be delayed to late September or early October due to most clubs being unable to begin their pre-season preparations because of the changing situation in the country.

Meanwhile, Fortis FC completed their player registration formalities yesterday, signing 33 players, including five foreign players, while retaining most of the players from last season.

"We have retained the services of 22 players, including four foreign players, and signed three players from BFF Elite Academy, while the rest came from other clubs," said Fortis FC manager Rashedul Islam. He added that their squad includes former national players such as Biplu Ahmed, Atiqur Rahman Fahad, Mohammad Abdullah, Mojurur Rahman, Mamunul Islam, and Shakhawat Hossain Rony.