Following a lot of uncertainty, the Bangladesh Football Federation has finally set a new kick-off date for the much-awaited Bangladesh Premier Football League. If everything falls into place, the top-flight will get underway this Tuesday.
Football’s governing body yesterday also accepted the demand of the premier league clubs and fixed the appearance money at Tk2.5m, a rise of Tk1.5m from last season.
“The clubs demanded a raise in the participation money and after talking to the sponsors, we are convinced and have decided to accept their demand,” BFF general secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag told the media yesterday after the professional league committee meeting.
Shohag also provided the reason behind the delay in announcing the kick-off date.
“We have been talking and finalising the title sponsor of the premier league. It’s nearly done and we will announce it this Monday. To give them (clubs) benefits and mileage, the BFF had to differ the kick-off date,” added Shohag.
As reported before, the entire first-phase matches will be held at Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka owing to the ongoing political unrest throughout the country.
“Considering the current political situation, we think it’s not safe for the clubs to travel. So, the matches of the first phase will only be held in Dhaka. We expect to host matches outside the capital from the second phase onwards,” explained Shohag.
It has been a little less than nine months since the last edition of the BPFL concluded. The top-tier is already three-four months behind schedule due to several international commitments of the Bangladesh team, especially the third edition of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup and the AFC Under-23 Championship Group E Qualifiers.
Yesterday, a couple of premier league clubs also received their outstanding amounts from BFF president Kazi Salahuddin. Salahuddin handed over Tk5,00,000 and Tk3,00,000 to Sheikh Jamal DC and Muktijoddha respectively for their champions and runners-up finishes in the season’s curtain-raiser, the Federation Cup.