In the football history of independent Bangladesh, Bashundhara Kings emerged as a ‘pioneer’ of practicing full professionalism in a football club. Due to the intense love, enthusiasm and interest of Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, Managing Director Sayem Sobhan Anvir and other family members, the team has emerged in the football arena. Father and all of his children love to dream.
They want to see football in good condition at home and abroad. All of them have a vision, aim and objective centring on the most popular game in the country. Football has been mixed in the blood of all members of Bashundhara family.
Club President Imrul Hassan assured Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan that the spectators would throng the field to witness the game of football of a corporate team if it is formed consisting of local and foreign players. Keeping faith in his assurance, the Bashundhara Group Chairman gave the ‘green signal’ and Bashundhara Kings started its journey. Since its inception, efforts were made in a disciplined manner to establish it as a ‘venue-added’ brand. This is the first example in the country’s football culture to take the initiative to do necessary ‘homework’.
Bashundhara Kings’ slogan is ‘Born to Beat’. Victory is not just only in field-level competition, but also over all impediments that come in the way of the development of football. Not only participation in field as a club, but Bashundhara Group has patronised football leagues and tournaments in all spheres. Since the beginning, Bashundhara Group pushed forward the country’s football.
Because of the able leadership of Club President Imrul Hassan, it has been possible to make the football of Bashundhara Kings acceptable and popular among people within five years only. The team has been identified as undefeatable in the country’s football. The team has got self-identity and has been able to create resonance all over. The club is worth-emulating, especially in professional football.
It has won eight trophies (Except the 2019-’20 season when the game was abandoned due to the Covid-19 pandemic) in five years. Of them, Bashundhara Kings’ extraordinary feat of winning the Premier League title for four seasons in a row is worth-mentionable. After winning the League title for the fourth time, FIFA President Gianni Infantino greeted Bashundhara Kings. In a congratulatory letter sent to the BFF president, he wrote that because of hard toil, passion and perseverance, Bashundhara Kings won the League title. Everyone can take pride in it. My hearty congratulations to all involved with it.
Because of football, Bashundhara Kings is now known beyond the country’s boundary. Bashundhara Kings is a great brand for Bashundhara Group. The knowledgeable circle is observing it. In recent times, Bashundhara Group sponsored the 14th SAAF Football Championship held in India’s Bangalore. They have named it ‘Bangabandhu SAFF Football Championship 2023’.
In the second week of June, a workshop was held in Penang, Malaysia where global sports columnists, football writers and experts took part. In a ‘case study’ session, Bashundhara Group of Bangladesh was highly praised for building necessary infrastructures in the sphere of professional football. In South East Asia, no other country has built a modern sports complex at the club level with its own stadium of international standard having all modern facilities spending crores of taka. This has ultimately brightened the image of Bangladesh abroad. In the ultramodern stadium of Bashundhara Kings, international matches and various tournaments, as well as championships, can be hosted. For professional football, this is only the Bashundhara Kings that has fulfilled cent per cent requirements of AFC and FIFA.
As the first team of Bangladesh, Bashundhara Kings will represent the country in AFC Championship League. It will play against a strong team like Sharjah FC consisting of prominent star players at Sharjah Stadium on August 15 this year. The winning team will have to cross another hurdle by playing against ‘Tractor Club’ of Iran on August 22 this year. The AFC Championship League is always full of tough contests. The club is now preparing to place the right player in the right position. Self-confidence is most essential. Bashundhara Kings is such a team that thinks of nothing but victory. In the past five years, Bashundhara Kings is shining brightly in Bangladesh football. Since its inception, Óscar Bruzón has been staying with Bashundhara Kings as a coach. He has been able to bind all players in a single thread. Bruzón is a technical person having a positive attitude. He enjoys the confidence of the club committee. Bashundhara Kings will play in AFC Champions League. The coach says: “It is essential to play much better in the Champions League.”
In reply to queries, Bashundhara Kings President Imrul Hassan said: “Bashundhara Kings now eyes the international football arena. The main focus is to do well at the international level. If we can do well at international level, the prestige of Bangladesh will be enhanced manifold. To do well, we have depended on foreign players. Previously, we could not perform as per expectation, but we fared well at the international level. Abahani Limited Dhaka once secured a place in the 2019 AFC Cup Inter-Zone Semi-finals, but could not do well in other seasons. Comparatively, the performance of Bashundhara Kings is better and encouraging too. In the upcoming AFC Champions League, our target is to go to the Group stage”.
In reply to another query, Imrul Hassan said: “I admit that local players lack the required ability. There are some reasons behind this. In Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), there is a lack of competitiveness. In comparison to Indian Premier League (IPL), the difference is in competitiveness. It can be said that there is little difference between Indian and Bangladeshi foreign players. But in case of local players, there is a lack of maturity.”
As a newcomer, Bashundhara Kings succeeded. In domestic football, it moves forward keeping behind popular traditional teams. Club management by professional executives is the reason behind the Kings’ success. The skilled manpower is committed to guiding the team through expertise, wisdom, farsightedness, new thoughts and discipline. The greatest strength of Kings is that it gets all kinds of cooperation from the Bashundhara Group management. Their single aim is to arouse the country’s football with the efforts of all.
Bashundhara Kings President Imrul Hassan thinks that alongside continuity, winning the League title and inclusion of foreign players in the team helped increase its supporters and fans. For a long time, Mohammedan Sporting Club and Abahani Limited Dhaka dominated the country’s football. Another name, Bashundhara Kings, has now been incorporated. Because of fair play, spectators came back to the football field. Bashundhara Kings' president opined that it is a wrong notion that winning the League title is possible by merely bringing foreign players through investment of lots of money. The main thing is mutual understanding and players’ performance. We could not play satisfactorily against Mohammedan SC and Bangladesh Police FC. On the field, the team failed to perform. I always admit the team’s weaknesses and failings. It should be kept in mind that strikers score goals and defenders help win the title. For a team, goals are a must. Defenders should not stumble in front of foreign players. We encourage ambition in all spheres. Bashundhara Kings emerged as champions (2022-’23) although it had more games to spare. It became champions for the fourth time as the best team, not for owning the best players.
From East Pakistan to Bangladesh, it was a journey of 75 years from 1948 to 2023. Being a fresher, the Bashundhara Kings football team patronised by the country’s largest business conglomerate, Bashundhara Group, has created a new history by clinching the League title four times consecutively. In the 75-year history of Dhaka’s eventful Football League, no other football team but Bashundhara Kings achieved such a rare glory. No other club has been able to bring so many trophies for the club within the shortest possible time. Bashundhara Kings has been able to write its name as one of the best ‘dream teams’ in the country’s football history. Another issue I want to mention. Dhaka Football League started its journey in 1915. It is a journey of 108 years from 1915 to 2023. No other football team had success like the Bashundhara Kings.
Bashundhara Kings President Imrul Hassan informed us that most of the three-year planning has been implemented. It has been possible to create a unique history in Dhaka Football League. Now, our aim is Kolkata (former Calcutta) Football League. Being a newcomer, Mohammedan Sporting Club of Kolkata won the League title five times in a row from 1934 to 1938. Likewise, Bashundhara Kings won the League title four times in a row. Our target is to win the fifth title in the 2023-24 season. We want to equalise the record of Calcutta Mohammedan. And, winning the sixth in 2024-25 we want to create a new record in sub-continental football. Bashundhara Kings loves to dream, big ones. What I want to give importance to is to start the academic activities. Construction work on the academic building adjacent to the stadium is progressing. With the completion of the infrastructure, we shall start working for age-based teams. Bringing foreign coach, long-term training will be imparted to age-based teams. Ultimately, there will be no dearth of good local players in the pipeline of Bashundhara Kings. Moreover, we can sell the players to other clubs. Academic players will mature with the passage of time.
The writer is a columnist and the former senior vice president of International Sports Press Association (AIPS) Asia
Source Daily Sun
BDST: 1519 HRS, JULY 06, 2023
MSK
