Along with three-phase league system, the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) will introduce another change next season, with just one club being relegated while two clubs from the championship league will be promoted.
BFF senior vice president Abdul Salam Murshedy revealed the new format of the league at the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) House yesterday, after a meeting of the professional league committee meeting. Murshedy confirmed reports that a third phase would be added to the league to increase the number of matches and meet the AFC criteria.
In a bid to make it a 12-team league, the new format will see one bottom club relegated from the premier league while two clubs who will be promoted and this will continue for next two seasons. As the league now has 10 clubs, if the new format continues, there will be 12 clubs after two seasons.
“The new format will see every professional club play at least 35+ matches (27 league matches+ Super Cup, Federation Cup and Independence Cup) in one season to fulfill AFC standard,” said Abdus Salam Murshedy, who is also the chairman of BFF professional league committee. He added that the foreign players quota in the league will remain as it is.
The two phases of the league will be held under the home and away system and the third phase will be held at a neutral venue decided by BFF. It will most likely be Bangabandhu National Stadium, as BFF president Kazi Salahuddin mentioned earlier.
Salam Murshedy also said there will be a slight change in the bylaws and every top division club will be required to have at least a C licensed assistant coach along with a B licensed head coach from the following season.
Murshedy added that the BPL venues outside the capital would have to be inspected before they are deemed fit to host matches. “We have decided to follow AFC guideline, which says there will be no games in a field that is not AFC standard. BFF will work with the clubs jointly and support technically and financially to make the fields AFC standard.”
Another decision to come out of the meeting was to emphasize primarily on the under-18 football team next season, just as last season the focus was on U-16. The policy was put in place in light of there being an U-19 international meet in the future. The representatives of the premier league clubs were also present at the meeting.