‘The power of 16 driving Kings’

Bashundhara Kings set a unique landmark in Bangladesh's domestic football on Saturday, winning the top-tier football league for a fifth consecutive time. It is a great achievement for a club that was set up only seven years ago, with a sound financial backing but not having much in terms of involvement with domestic football. Imrul Hasan, the founder president of the club who oversaw this period of continued success at the domestic front, spoke to The Daily Star's Atique Anam regarding his club's footballing philosophy and the journey so far. Here are the excerpts of the interview:

The Daily Star (DS): People often say the financial might of Bashundhara Kings is setting them apart from the other clubs in domestic football. What is your take on this notion?
Imrul Hasan (IH): I believe that forming a good team is not the biggest prerequisite for winning trophies. Good teams do not always deliver success. What we do at our club is we remain vigilant about the players' discipline. We are very strict in this regard. This helps our players stay fit mentally and physically and helps them stay more committed to the club.
In our first two seasons, we did not have the best collection of players since we were not very familiar with the players and the transfer market. But it was due to the players' and team management's dedication that we won.

DS: Your team started with the championship league seven years ago, won that title and started playing in the BPL. Did you really hope or dream that the club would be able to make such history in such a short time?

IH: When we first played the BPL, our target was to be able to give a good fight. Winning the league was not our outright priority. And if you say winning five leagues, no, it was beyond our expectation. You can't achieve these things with a set target.

DS: Your club is owned by one of the biggest business conglomerates of the country, and they must have business interest in the club. So what sort of pressure or expectation doed the club receive from the owners?
IH: Most of the clubs, except for maybe one or two clubs which are run on individual donations, are backed by corporations. There is obviously expectation to do well from the owners. To be honest, there is nothing to gain financially from football, or from any other sports for that matter, in Bangladesh. But we do get benefits in terms of promotion and association with football.

DS: Do you think lack of competition at home is a reason Kings struggle when they play on the continental stage?

IH: I do believe we could be a bit more competitive. I think the clubs need to be a bit more clever in forming squads. We need a few more good teams. Chittagong Abahani and Brothers had good teams in the past. Then if Mohammedan and Abahani are a bit more clever in forming squads, we can have more competition. I'm not talking about money, I think teams can be more innovative in forming squads even with the same amount of money they spend.

DS: Who would you give most credit for this success? 

IH: If you have noticed, Our supporters wear a No 16 jersey, and we don't give that number to any player. There is a philosophy behind it. We believe our success relies on 11+5 players. 11 are those that play on the field. 12 are our coaching staff. 13 are our support staff. 14 are our club management including myself. 15 are our investors or owners. And 16 are our supporters. All of them play a big part in our success.