Three iconic clubs vie for top-flight re-entry

Newer teams have often overshadowed the old guards in the landscape of Bangladesh football, especially since the advent of the second-tier professional football competition, Bangladesh Championship League (BCL), in 2012.

However, the resurgence of three iconic teams -- Fakirerpool Young Men's Club, Dhaka Wanderers Club, and PWD Sports Club -- has been taking place.

Two of these three clubs, with a rich legacy dating back to before the country's liberation war, are now on the cusp of reclaiming their spot in the top-flight arena, where they had once fared regularly to become household names.

Leading the charge is Fakirerpool, topping the Bangladesh Championship League (BCL) table with 24 points from 13 matches, one point ahead of PWD and Wanderers. As it stands, all three need points in their respective final matches to earn promotion.

Back in their heyday, Fakirerpool had earned the moniker of "giant killers" while they also produced many excellent and promising footballers for the national team, but the Motijheel-based club had ups and downs both on and off the pitch.

They navigated through challenges, including a damaging casino scandal around four years back, to emerge on their way to the top-tier Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), where they had refused to play due to a financial crisis despite having won the BCL title in 2017.

This season, they formed a squad to stay alive with the goal of finishing in the middle of the table, but Imtiaz Khan Lablu's charges are on track to finish first if they can defeat another title challengers, PWD, today.

"We are very close to becoming champions … but we are worried about the arrangement of fund of how to form the squad for BPL," Fakirerpool general secretary Mostafizur Rahman Mainu told The Daily Star yesterday, adding that they will not waste the opportunity to play BPL this time if they qualify for the top-flight football.

Unlike Fakirerpool, PWD formed a squad with the hope of qualifying for the BPL after receiving support from club president Shamim Akthar and general secretary Moshiur Rahman. At present, the 70-year-old club are level on points, 23, with second-placed Wanderers who are set to play BFF Elite Football Academy tomorrow.

Interestingly, while government-backed sports teams kept withdrawing one after another from different disciplines over the years, PWD remained determined to revive their lost glory.

"On the back of good preparation in our debut BCL appearance, we are expecting to finish in top two positions to qualify for BPL, but we are not satisfied with our current position," remarked PWD manager Iftekharul Islam.

Meanwhile, Dhaka Wanderers Club, with a legacy as seven-time league champions in the 1960s and rivals to the popular Mohammedan Sporting Club, are also in contention. Overcoming challenges, including repercussions from a casino scandal, the club remains steadfast in their pursuit of returning to the top-flight.

"I have heard from the club officials, during the formation of the squad, that they want to bring back the past glories," said Wanderers head coach Abu Yousuf, adding that he would be happy if he can be part of the club's new journey in top-flight football.