Bangladesh Army FT
Full nameBangladesh Army Football Team
Short nameBAF
Founded1971 (1971)
GroundBangladesh Army Stadium
Capacity20,000
OwnerBangladesh Army
ManagerGolam Robbani Choton[1]
LeagueNational Football Championship
2021–221st
WebsiteClub website

Bangladesh Army Football Team (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ সেনাবাহিনী ফুটবল দল) represents the Bangladesh Army in football and competes in the National Football Championship, which is the main national district tournament in the country. They also participate in the Independence Cup and previously played in the Federation Cup.

The Army team consists of players who play professionally in the Bangladesh Premier League, Championship League, and semi-professionally in the Dhaka League and its lower tiers, while still being employed in the Bangladesh Army.

History

Officially founded on 26 March 1971, coinciding with Bangladesh's Independence Day, Bangladesh Army was home to many professional footballers shortly after. Hafizuddin Ahmed who was only the second East Pakistani footballer to captain the Pakistan national team, was one of the first commissioned officers of the Bangladesh Army.[2]

According to RSSSF, the earliest records of the Army taking part in a football competition was at the 1977/78 edition of the Aga Khan Gold Cup. During the tournament they suffered heavy defeats to Thai club Bangkok Bank (2–8) and Malaysia's Penang (1–4).[3]

They also regularly took part in the Sher-e-Bangla Cup, where they were joint winner alongside Dhaka University in both 1980 and 1981, while in 1990 they beat their rivals in the final to gain sole ownership of the title.[4]

Recent results

2000s

Army started the new century by partaking in the ANFA Cup held in Nepal.[5] Their subcontinental exploits were followed by disappointing results in the 2000 Federation Cup, where they finished at the bottom of their group. In the same year, they reached the Sher-e Bangla Cup final, losing to Noakhali in the final.[6]

In 2001, Army qualified for the 2001–02 National Football League after defeating Bangladesh Navy in the Service Zone final. In the main tournament, Army produced one of the upsets of the year by defeating Abahani Limited Dhaka by 2–1. Nonetheless, they failed to progress past the group-stage due to goal difference.[7] In 2002, Army took part in the Federation Cup and finished third in their group.[8] In 2004, Army enjoyed a relatively successful year, as they participated in the Federation Cup and also reached the final of the Sher-e Bangla Cup (losing to Narayanganj), as striker Nasiruddin Chowdhury lead the way with five goals.[9]

The 2005–06 National Football League was the last time Army took part in the tournament, while top-tier clubs still competed in it. Their only win during the league came against Nobanabin Somabesh. They also partook in the 2005 edition of the Federation Cup, losing in the quarter-final to Sheikh Russel KC 2–5.[10] The following decade, Army played in both the 2008 and 2009 editions of the Federation Cup, without finding much success.[11][12]

2010s

For the majority of the 2010s, the Army's football team remained inactive. The only notable tournament they took part in was Inter-Service football tournament, in 2018.[13] In the final, Army defeated Bangladesh Navy 4–3, and midfielder Sohel Rana's performances during the tournament earned him a Bangladesh Premier League contract with Rahmatganj MFS.[14] From 2014 till 2017, Army was trained by former national team captain, Alfaz Ahmed.[15] The team also played friendlies against the Bangladesh olympic team, losing by narrow margins on multiple occasions.[16][17] The rule changes also meant that Army members were now permitted to participate in the domestic football league with professional clubs.[18][19]

2020s

The start of the new decade saw the return of the Sher-e-Bangla Cup/National Football Championship (2020), as Army won the title for the fourth time. On 2 December 2021, Army stunned Mohammedan SC 2–1 in the 2021 Independence Cup, with goals from Ranju Sikdar and Shahriar Emon.[20]

On 8 April 2022, Army won the 9th Bangabundhu Bangladesh Games beating Sylhet District 2–0.[21]

On 4 July 2022, Army retained the National Championship (2021–22) title, defeating Chittagong District 4–2 in the final, with striker Imtiaz Raihan scoring twice in the final and remained the highest scorer of the tournament with six goals.[22]

Honours

Cups

Notable players

The players below have senior international cap(s) for the Bangladesh national football team.

References

  1. ↑ "Choton's Army deny Mohammedan". The Daily Star. 28 October 2023. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  2. ↑ "শুধু ফুটবল খেললে আমার ধারেকাছে কেউ থাকত না | কালের কণ্ঠ". Kalerkantho. June 16, 2016. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Aga Khan Gold Cup". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
  4. ↑ "Bangladesh - List of Cup Winners". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2023-02-03. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
  5. ↑ "ANFA Invitational Tournament (Nepal)". www.rsssf.org. Archived from the original on 2013-11-16. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  6. ↑ "Bangladesh 2000". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2023-02-07. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
  7. ↑ "Bangladesh 2001/02". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2022-11-27. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
  8. ↑ "Bangladesh 2002". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2022-11-27. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
  9. ↑ "Bangladesh 2004". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2022-11-29. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
  10. ↑ "Bangladesh 2005/06". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2022-11-27. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
  11. ↑ "Bangladesh Cups 2008". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2022-11-27. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
  12. ↑ "Bangladesh 2009/10". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2022-11-27. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
  13. ↑ sun, daily. "Army win inter-service football meet | Daily Sun |". daily sun. Archived from the original on 2022-12-19. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
  14. ↑ Rahman, Anisur (May 20, 2022). "A Tk 350 investment that birthed a national footballer". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  15. ↑ রহমান, আনিসুর (June 1, 2023). "'আমার কাছে অ্যাটাক ইজ দ্য বেস্ট ডিফেন্স'". The Daily Star Bangla. Archived from the original on July 16, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  16. ↑ Reporter, Sports (August 24, 2014). "Defensive worries deepen". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on July 16, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  17. ↑ Reporter, Sports (August 15, 2014). "Coach worried despite win". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on July 16, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  18. ↑ অনেক দিন পর জাতীয় দলে সেনা সদস্য. Jago News 24. Archived from the original on 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  19. ↑ Rahman, Anisur (March 19, 2021). "Mehedi realises a 'distant dream'". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  20. ↑ "Army stun Mohammedan". New Age | The Most Popular Outspoken English Daily in Bangladesh. Archived from the original on 2022-12-19. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
  21. ↑ "Bangladesh Army becomes men's football champions - Sports - observerbd.com". The Daily Observer. Archived from the original on 2022-12-19. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
  22. ↑ Report, Star Sports (July 4, 2022). "Bangladesh Army retain Bangabandhu NFC title". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
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