Charmless Dhaka Football League
In the fifties and the first quarter of the sixties, Dhaka First Division Football League thrilled the Dhaka Stadium almost every day. A large number of crowds went to the stadium to enjoy the skills of Ghaznabi, Nabi Chowdhury, Ranjit, Zaheer, Saifuddin, Shah Alam, Murree, Raymond, Patrick, Kabir, Pintu, Hafiz, Tipu, Bashir, Protap, Ashraf, Samad, Shova, Zamboo, Devnath, Bolai, Mintu and many more, who represented Dhaka Wanderers Club, Mohammedan Sporting Club, Azad Sporting Club, Victoria Sporting Club, PWD, DC Mills, BG Press, East end Club, Central Stationery and Wari AC. In the mid-sixties, EPIDC appeared as the most powerful contender.
Apart from the local heroes, players from Karachi of the then West Pakistan contributed to the advancement of soccer in the then East Pakistan. They were Siddique, Murad Box, Rasul Box, Abid Hossain, Ghaffur, Abdullah, Omar, Moosa Sr, Moosa Jr, Moula Box, Jabbar, Hashim Deen, Yusuf Jr, Yusuf Sr, Yakub, Abbas, Khuda Box and Abdullah Akber.
After the independence of Bangladesh, it was Sheikh Kamal, who introduced the soccer fans and the players with modern technology of football. He bought Iqbal sporting Club and named it Abahani KC (now Abahani Limited) and landed a European coach for his team. Like him, BWAPDA soccer body also signed with a foreign coach.
But instead of surging ahead, football is now sinking in Bangladesh. The so-called Bangladesh League is the beginning of the last journey. The remedy is to bring back Dhaka First Division Football League. Will the BFF hear us?
Lutfur Rahman Khan
Shantibagh, Dhaka
