Bangladesh Football Clubs Reject BFF's New Domestic Season Dates

Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has officially announced the new schedule for starting domestic football in the country, setting the new dates as September 18 for the league and September 22 for the Federation Cup. Alongside these dates, the governing body has also fixed September 3 as the final deadline for player transfers.

Despite the announcement by the federation, the country's prominent football clubs, including Bashundhara Kings, Abahani, and Mohammedan Sporting Club Limited, have expressed their unwillingness to accept the newly declared timeline. The sudden announcement has created friction between the clubs and the federation regarding the preparation and execution of the upcoming domestic football calendar.

Expressing deep dissatisfaction over the unilateral decision-making process, Mohammedan Sporting Club Limited official Lokman Hossain Bhuiyan revealed that the clubs were completely bypassed when these dates were being determined. He noted that the federation failed to hold any discussions with the participating clubs before making the official announcement public.

Detailing the stance of the clubs, Lokman Hossain Bhuiyan stated: "We had told BFF that the matches should be started in such a way that it can run continuously for a long time. But the date that has been announced suddenly is without any sort of discussion with our clubs. Therefore, it is not possible for us to play on this date." He further confirmed that a formal letter detailing this collective decision will be dispatched to the federation very soon.

Meanwhile, the national football calendar is set to experience further engagement later in the month as the Bangladesh national football team prepares for international duty. The national squad is scheduled to participate in the upcoming FIFA ASEAN Cup, which is officially set to commence on September 24 in Indonesia.