Muktijoddha Sangsad Krira Chakra have been facing financial instability and uncertainty in the last couple of years which resulted in poor transfer activities before the 2022-23 season and eventually handed them their first ever relegation from the top-flight league.
The club authorities admitted financial limitations but also claimed they were victims of biased refereeing in crucial premier league matches that precipitated their relegation.
It has been learned that the financial condition of the club was never stable in the last four years and it worsened at the beginning of the season which prevented the club from forming a formidable squad.
The economic situation turned into a crisis after the casino crackdown in the country at the end of 2019 stopped the club's only earning source.
The security forces locked the club house after the raid and the main income of the club from renting its spaces came to a standstill.
Prior to the casino crackdown, the club got Tk39 lakhs each month from leasing which was sufficient to meet the costs of a football club to survive in the league.
The amount totaled to around Tk4 crore and 68 lakhs per year which was used to bear the expenses of the squad, including wages of the players and coaching staffs.
As they had no other earning source, the club approached the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs for funds to form the squad for the following season.
In response, the Ministry provided them Tk3 crore for the 2019-20 season where they were placed at bottom of the 13-team table after five rounds of fixtures before Covid-19 pandemic suspended the league.
The situation worsened at the beginning of the 2020-21 season as there was no financial assistance from the Ministry or sponsors.
The players who remained at the club became conscious and their Japanese captain Yusuke Kato reportedly sought donations to survive the season.
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It was down to Kato's initiative that the Muktijoddha officials met Japan Embassy who managed a sponsor from business conglomerate, Bashundhara Group.
They finished the league campaign at 10th out of 13 clubs with 19 points from 24 matches.
The club faced a new dilemma during the 2021-22 season where there was again, no sponsor.
Many top performers of the club left for pastures new.
Kato again took the onus upon himself to save his sinking side by collecting at least Tk30 lakhs by initiating a charity, but it was not enough.
Football manager Ariful Islam said he too raised funds through his personal connections to help the side finish the league at ninth out of 12 clubs with 19 points, also thanks to the dedication of their Malaysian head coach Raja Isa.
The burden of the debts though increased to a new height at the end of the season and things did not quite work out the same way in the following edition.
Except an emergency funding of Tk20 lakhs from Minister for Liberation War Affairs AKM Mozammel Haque a day before the deadline, there were no more funds during the transfer window.
“The transfer window was closing in but I didn't have the money. We couldn't sign the players we wanted. With some little amount of money, I had to manage players who were without a club,” the club manager told Dhaka Tribune.
After the end of the players' registration, the Ministry stood by the club once again, providing Tk4 crore in two phases of the league.
But it did not help the club avoid relegation (15 points among 11 teams) and they were still left with a due of more than Tk1 crore after the end of the season in addition to the debts of the previous editions, informed the club's account official Habibul Hakim.
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“The funding is now zero,” said Hakim before adding, “We paid 80% of the players' wages but the rest are due. We couldn't fully pay the bills of food and accommodation as well.”
The account official also informed that they owe more than Tk12 crore to those who rented and ran the casino at the club premises before becoming fugitives since the crackdown.
Captain Aminur Rahman Sajib, whose contract and two-year stay at the club ended following the season, said he is content with the money (75-80%) he received, but rather worried of the downfall of the club.
“It's very sad. It's the players who feel the worst and I was one of them. We played for this team. So we feel bad. It's difficult to accept. I still can't believe because we didn't have such a bad team,” said the national forward without giving any hint where his next destination would be.
Both the captain and manager complained of the refereeing in the league as the club officially claimed to the Bangladesh Football Federation that some decisions did not go in their favor in some vital fixtures, thus paving the way for the dreaded relegation.
Minister for Liberation War Affairs echoed the same sentiment on refereeing allegations but also admitted the club's financial limitation which he hoped would be solved soon.
“The club ran by its own income before but have been closed since. There is no sponsor. So they are in financial crisis,” he said.
“I hope this will be over. I'm positive that a decision would be coming soon to open the club. The club can then rent the spaces and earn regularly.”
Muktijoddha appealed to the federation to review the relegation and let them stay in the league and the Minister and club officials are also hopeful on this matter.
But the financial dilemma regarding the payment of players, including five foreigners, is dependent on the discussion with the Ministry.
The foreign players have not received their salaries of the last three months and are continuously knocking the club for the money after which they can head home.
