The Celebrity Management Group (CMG), one of the leading sports management groups in India, is interested in organising a franchise-based professional football league in Bangladesh titled ‘Bangladesh Super Soccer’.
CMG executive director, Bhaswar Goswami, appeared at the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) office yesterday with two lucrative proposals – one, to arrange a football tournament in Bangladesh, just like the Indian Super League, with the participation of franchise-based clubs.
The second proposal is likely to be an attractive proposition for the BFF. CMG wants to buy the rights of every Fifa international friendlies involving Bangladesh in the next one-and-a-half years. The Indian sports management group also wants to assist the BFF in choosing the opposition.
“The Celebrity Management Group came to the BFF with two proposals. They want to buy the rights of Bangladesh’s international matches according to the Fifa calendar for the next one or one-and-a-half years including sponsorship, ticketing and broadcasting rights etc. They will also help us to find the opponent team according to the proposal,” said BFF general secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag yesterday.
“The other proposal is that they want to host a football league in Bangladesh, just like the Indian Super League. It would be titled Bangladesh Super Soccer. They will buy the rights of the event and manage sponsors as well as provide financial assistance to the franchise clubs,” added Shohag.
Goswami, however, could not meet BFF president Kazi Salahuddin, who left the office before CMG’s arrival. The BFF supremo though knows about the proposals but is yet to make any response.
“We just received the proposals today (yesterday) and the president more or less knows about it. They need the BFF to approve the proposals and make the regulations before holding the event. If the BFF agrees then they (CMG) will advance further and come up with the details,” informed Shohag.
CMG earlier organised the Fifa international friendly between powerhouse Argentina and African superpower Nigeria at Bangabandhu National Stadium in 2011. However, despite previous plans, CMG later onwards was unable to hold a tri-nation international football tournament in the United Kingdom with the participation of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Goswami added that if the colourful tournament does take place, there is a chance that iconic Argentinian football legend Diego Armando Maradona might be one of the organisers.