Jamal club-less, massive downgrade in footballer’s payment

The transfer window for the 2024–25 Premier League season concluded two days ago.  With the exception of Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, all Premier League teams submitted their official player rosters to the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF).

Notably, Abahani Limited has assembled their squad without signing any foreign players. In an unprecedented development, national team captain Jamal Bhuiyan has not been selected by any club for the upcoming season.

Last season, Jamal joined Argentina's third-division club, Sol de Mayo, before returning to Abahani Limited. However, he did not feature regularly during the second half of the Premier League season.

Speculation was rife regarding his future, with some reports suggesting he would remain with Abahani. Nevertheless, his name was ultimately absent from any team's official roster, marking a unique situation where the national captain finds himself without a club.

Jamal declined to play for a salary of 50,000 to 1 lakh taka per month. Abahani, unable to offer a higher amount, left Jamal without a club—a rare and unprecedented situation for a national team captain in domestic football.

Due to changes in the political landscape, sponsors have withdrawn their backing, leading Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club to opt out of forming teams for this season.

Chottogram Abahani, however, managed to submit their player list to BFF at the last minute. With Sheikh Russel and Sheikh Jamal not participating in this season's transfer activities, the future of these clubs remains uncertain amid the current political shifts.

The sharp decline in salaries for Bangladesh's top footballers has raised significant concerns within the football community. Once commanding contracts that crossed the million-taka threshold, many top-tier players now find themselves signing deals for as low as 5 to 7 lakh taka per season, with some being offered monthly wages between 50,000 and 1 lakh taka.

This drastic pay cut stems from the fallout after the government change on August 5, which led to Bashundhara Group withdrawing its sponsorship from two major clubs—Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra.

Players who had previously secured contracts worth 35-40 lakh taka with these clubs suddenly found themselves scrambling to find new teams, such as Brothers Union, Rahmatganj, and Abahani, often at significantly lower rates.

Wanderers, for example, reportedly offered players monthly wages as low as 30-35 thousand taka. Brothers Union hastily signed several players without advance payments. Yet, despite the financial strain, Brothers Union managed to build a competitive squad on a tight budget, signing national team players like Rahmat Mia, goalkeeper Ashraful Islam, and Pappu Hossain.

Mohammedan, despite losing key players such as Iman, Murad, and Kamrul, strengthened its squad with replacements like Riyadul Rafi, Rahim, Dipu, Rajib Sheikh, and six foreign players. Rahmatganj also made strategic signings, including defender Raihan and goalkeeper Shahidul Alam, albeit with modest salaries.

Rumors circulated that Abahani even considered withdrawing from the league altogether, but eventually, they capped their offers at 4-5 lakh taka. Despite this, prominent players like striker Matin Mia and Masuk Mia Jony remain unsigned.

Chattogram Abahani, initially reluctant to form a team, only managed to submit a list of 36 players to the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) at the last moment, thanks to the intervention of former footballer Zahid Hasan. However, questions linger over the team's future viability.

As the transfer window closes and the games approach, Bashundhara Kings, featuring stars like Tapu, Anisur, and Sohel Rana, are poised to dominate competitions like the Federation Cup, League, and Challenge Cup. Mohammedan may present a challenge, but what about Abahani? 

In a surprising move, Abahani, like Wanderers and Chottogram Abahani, has opted not to sign any foreign players, relying solely on 32 domestic players such as Ibrahim, Aminur Rahman, Sumon Reza, Akash, and Zafar Iqbal. 

As the start date of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) approaches and clubs continue to struggle in finding solutions, the quality of the competition is expected to fall short of its usual standard this time around.