The top flight of the domestic football, the Bangladesh Premier League will kick off on Friday (November 29) with three matches will take place at different venues in the opening day.
The holders Bashundhara Kings and the runners up Mohammedan Sporting Club will also play their respective first matches on the opening day.
The treble winners of the last season Bashundhara Kings will take on Chittagong Abahani Limited at the at Kings Arena when the winners of three runners trophy of last season, including the league, Mohammedan Sporting Club will play their first match against Wonderers at the Gazipur Stadium. The day’s another match will be held between Brothers Union and Bangladesh Police FC at the Bir Srehshtha Motiur Rahman Stadium, Munshiganj.
This time a total of 10 teams, Bashundhara Kings, Mohammedan Sporting Club, Abahani Limited, Chittagong Abahani, Police FC, Fortis FC, Rahmatganj, Brothers Union, Dhaka Wonderers and Fakirerpool Youngmens’ Club will take part in the Bangladesh Premier League.
However, the Federation Cup expected to get underway just after a four-day interval of the curtain raiser match of the league on December 3, as the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) announced the schedules on Sunday.
According to the schedule announced by BFF, there will be a long two months break between the first and second leg of the league when the first phase is expected to end on January 25 and the second leg will resume from the first week of April.
The group leg of the Federation Cup, which will be going on simultaneously with the league, will be completed on February 4 and the knockout phase will start from April 8. The final of the federation Cup is scheduled for May 2 when the last match of the league to be held on May 31.
The Federation Cup will take place in three venues across the country - at Kings Arena, Mymensingh Rafique Uddin Ahmed Bhuiyan Stadium and Comilla's Shaheed Dhirandrenath Dutta Stadium.
The Premier League matches of this season will be held in five venues - Kings Arena, Rafiquddin Stadium, Mymensingh, Bir Shrestha Shaheed Motiur Rahman Stadium, Munshuganj, Comilla, Shahid Dhirendranath Dutt Stadium, Comilla and Shaheed Barkat Stadium, Gazipur.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium excluded from the list of the venues of league.
League matches will be held at home and away venues when Kings Arena is the home venue for Bashundhara Kings and Fortis FC, Traditional giants Abahani and Mohammedans’ home venues is Comilla, Munshiganj of Brothers and Rahmatganj, Gazipur and Mymensingh is the home venue of Wanderers, Fakirpool, Chittagong Abahani and Bangladesh Police FC.
The mid-season players transfer will take place during the two months break.
In the two months gap, there is also a FIFA Window for friendly matches, AFC Asia Cup qualifiers and there will also be a one week vacation for Eid-ul-Fitr and the teams will have one month for mid-season players’ registration to take place from February 5 to March 3.
The schedule of the FIFA windows for Asia Cup qualification set for March 17-25 when possible holiday for Eid Fitr would be from March 29-April 2.
The clubs will have to face some difficulties to run their camp during the long two-month break between two legs of the league. As maximum clubs are not well off, so financial trouble will be great causes of their sufferings and it would become tough to run the camp for long two months. Even this long gap, there will be no matches for the players which will also be a great concern for their fitness.
After resuming in the first week of April, the league will be continued without any further break.
National will have another FIFA Window to play friendly matches and to play the Asian Cup qualifiers right after a few days break in June, so they will have
not enough time to take preparations for the two international affairs.
Usually the league started with the match between the defending champions of the previous league and the team, who promoted to the Premier League from the Bangladesh Champions League. But this time the league going to be started with the reigning champions and the runners up.
