Bangladesh premier league football of 2019-20 deferred by 14 days and the women’s football league delayed for a week when the league committee refreshed the schedule yesterday to start the league from February 13 instead of January 30.
The women’s league will kick off from February 7 rather than February 1.
But earlier, in a meeting of the league committee on 26th August 2019, it was discussed and set a tentative time to start the league from January 1 but due to Bangabandhu Gold Cup International Football tournament they deferred it to January 30 and this time also they made further delay to start the league.
Besides changing the league schedule, league committee also took a decision about foreign booters when this time five foreign booters will have the opportunity to play in any match. But at a time four players will play and one player could play as substitute.
Abdus Salam Murshedi, chairman of the league committee informed that they had to change the schedule due to Abahani’s AFC Cup matches in home and away in Dhaka and Male and the Dhaka City Corporation elections.
Salam Murshedi said, “All the clubs agreed with the reasons of delaying the kick off the league.”
According to earlier schedule the premier league was supposed to start from January 30 and the women’s league from February 1. But the Dhaka City Corporation election will be held on February 1 and it was also one of the reasons to defer the league.
The official of the professional football league of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) Zaber bin Ansari also informed yesterday that some of the clubs requested (applied to BFF) to defer the league for a few days and the league called an emergency meeting to discuss about to prepare a fresh schedule.
Zaber when talking to the Independent yesterday informed that due to Dhaka City Corporation Election and the matches of Abahani Limited of the AFC preliminary phase on February 5 in and 12 in Male.
“Besides Abahani Limited, some others clubs like, Sheikh Russell and Bashundhara Kings requested through letters that they want to start the league after the City Corporation elections,” Zaber said.
“Abahani in their request said that they want to start the league after playing their AFC preliminary matches and their grounds are very much reasonable as the league committee decided to reschedule of both the premier league and the women’s league kick off,” said Zaber.
Abahani Limited will play their AFC Cup preliminary phase matches against Mazia Sports and Recreation Club of Maldives on February 5 and the away match on February 12 in Male and it would be something difficult for them if the league will start from January 30.
Meanwhile, this time the league will take places in seven venues across the country, with Nilphamari (Bashundhara home ground), Mymensingh (Saif Sporting Club), Sylhet Stadium (Sheikh Russell Krira Chakra, home ground), MA Aziz Stadium, (Chattogram Abahani Limited), Cumilla Stadium (Mohammedan Sporting Club), Gopalganj Stadium (Muktijoddha Sangsad Krira Chakra) and out of 13, rest of the teams’ home venue is Bangabandhu National Stadium.