Alfaz Ahmed, once a star striker, recently captured the imagination of the Bangladesh football fraternity after guiding Mohammedan to the Federation Cup title following an exciting grand finale against Abahani. It was Mohammedan's first major trophy in nine years. Alfaz was the assistant coach of the club for three years before becoming interim head coach three months ago. Dhaka Tribune met the 49-year old at the club's premises for an exclusive interview. The architect of Mohammedan's Federation Cup win talked about their journey to cup glory and the current state of the country's football, among other topics. Here are the excerpts:
What was the recipe behind the Federation Cup win?
Firstly, I got to know the capacity of my team and worked on this to have an idea on how to win. I identified where I'm weak. I also researched my players, how they perform, so the plan was set in accordance with the capability of the team and the players.
What was the plan?
It was a hot summer day. I wanted not to concede any goal in the first half. After we conceded two goals, I thought there was no way but to play attacking football and high-pressing game. I made three changes in the second half which clicked. I went for a more attacking strategy and we pulled back two goals. It was the turning point.
The turning point that you mentioned, is this why the final turned out to be more competitive?
Abahani became more relaxed after scoring twice and they were expecting one more goal. From that point, we scored one and the team got inspired. There was also support from the crowd. The players became confident that they can do it so they gave their best.
It was a final between arch-rivals Abahani and Mohammedan but the gallery was still half empty…
Mohammedan are a traditional club. They didn't win any trophy for around a decade. The supporters got depressed with the results. They can't accept defeat after going to the stadium. They head to the stadium when the results are good. These fans were silent in the last few years. If Mohammedan form a good squad in future the fans will come automatically. Besides, the youth doesn't want to come to the stadium because there are many supporters who can watch better matches on TV like the Premier League, Champions League and Serie A. The environment has changed. Many don't come to the stadium due to traffic jam. There are also no star footballers in the league like before. Be it Abahani or Mohammedan, there is currently no star player who can attract fans to the venue.
Why are there no star footballers like before?
The ranking of Bangladesh football and popularity of players depend on the performance of the national team. If a player scores two-three international goals, people will get interested in him. If a local player scores 20 goals in the league, the crowd will come to watch him play. We are deprived in this regard. I think the district football league is closed in many places. It is not happening every year. If they have continuous activity then many players will come up. There is a lack of competitiveness.
It was 4-4 in 120 minutes prior to the tie-breaker. Have you ever seen such a competitive match before?
No. We played a match in the league against Abahani where Nakib (Imtiaz Ahmed) netted a hat-trick. Mohammedan were trailing 0-2 but eventually won the game 4-3. It was in 2000. Later we read in the newspaper that it was called the best match in history. But considering all aspects – final, 120-minute game, tie-breaker- this Federation Cup final is the best match ever, to me at least.
What was the main strength of Mohammedan?
Unity. The sincerity among the players, coaching staffs and officials, everyone tried. The players worked hard and they wanted to do something for the club. The main thing is that the players were united.
What changes have you made to the team in these three months?
I found out the weakness in my team and filled this up by bringing in a player. We brought Sunday in attacking line and Kamrul in left-back. We also signed a right-back. There were also problems in fitness level and stamina. I got around 25 days to organize this team. The training schedules were very hard. I emphasized on stamina, strength and combination. Players were also interested and I think they are the main reason behind the success because they played their best.
How far can this team go?
Bashundhara Kings are an expensively assembled team. They spent way more money than us. They also have better foreign players. But our battle against them was not bad. We lost 0-1 and 1-2 in the league. We beat them in the Federation Cup. We also held Abahani to a draw in the league and beat them in the final. It shows that we were competitive against the top two sides. We have the ability to win. If we recruit more quality players then surely we can fight for the league title.
Also Read: Mohammedan end 14-year Federation Cup wait with dramatic win over Abahani
Are you enjoying coaching?
I chose coaching after my retirement because I love football and want to give something back to this sport. I want to raise players. I'm enjoying this.
You played for both Abahani and Mohammedan. Which stint did you enjoy more?
I played for Abahani during the late stage of my career. I spent my youth at Mohammedan. Playing for Mohammedan was more fun because I grew up in this club. I always prefer Mohammedan as a fan. Abahani are a good team and always fight for the championship. But Mohammedan is in my heart.
You won the SAFF Championship in 2003. Tell us about your individual pursuit towards glory…
When I started playing football it was my childhood dream to win SAFF. SAFF Championship was a golden deer at that time. To win this trophy I worked a lot. Before the start of every season, my target was to play for the national team. I began practice with this goal because if I wanted to play for the national side I had to perform well in the league. Thanks to God that all my desires were fulfilled while playing for the national team.
Why is there a dearth of strikers in recent times?
The biggest reason for this is that we don't give local strikers chances in the premier league. We have 11 clubs in the league where four foreign players play for each team and most of the teams want to win. They field a overseas player as striker. The clubs who have better defence sign two strikers. Around 20-24 strikers are foreigners. The local strikers are deprived. The clubs are dependent on foreign players. If you can't play in the domestic league, where would you show your performance?
The popularity of domestic football has also decreased significantly. Why is that?
Mohammedan and Abahani are traditional powerhouses. The better squad they form and the more they become champions the popularity of Bangladesh football will increase. Abahani have no value without Mohammedan and vice versa. Lack of competitiveness makes it less attractive.
What do you think about the future?
It's dark because if you look at the ongoing season you got no promising players. If it remains like this it will be a crisis in future. If promising players don't emerge it would be detrimental. There is also a lack of income source behind this for which the clubs don't have youth system or academy. The clubs need income source if they are to develop players. Nothing can be done without money.