Bashundhara Kings is the ‘pioneer’ Football club in independent Bangladesh wrapped with ‘corporate culture’ and professionalism. Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, who is well-known as a sports lover, Managing Director Sayem Sobhan Anvir and enthusiasm, interest and love for sports by other members of their family are behind the club’s journey. From father to children all of their family members love dreaming. They want to see Football in a strong position at home and abroad. 

Ahmed Akbar Sobhan family has vision-specific targets and goals for the most popular game in the country. All members of the Bashundhara family are by-born sports lovers. 

This is the first example of the country’s Football club culture forming an initiative through homework.

The slogan of the Bashundhara Kings is 'Born to Beat'. This beat is not only in playing Football but also beating all obstacles against Football. The beat of Kings means the beat of good Football.

Bashundhara Kings expanded a new culture in Football. It wants to walk in the path of light along with other stakeholders of Football from the first day of its journey.  Bashundhara Group is patronizing various football leagues and tournaments to invigorate football practice alongside participating in games on the field. From the very first Bashundhara wants to become an inspiration to take forward the country’s Football.  

The club won eight trophies in five years. The game in the 2019-20 season was abandoned due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  

Bashundhara Kings clinched four Premier League titles at a stretch which is a tremendous success for the club. Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) President Gianni Infantino congratulated Bashundhara Kings after winning the Premier League title for the fourth consecutive year in the 2022-23 season. In the congratulatory letter sent to Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) president, Infantino wrote, “I congratulate all the staff and concerned for this extraordinary win. This victory wouldn’t achieve without hardworking, passion and dedication of the whole team. They can feel proud of the title.”

The world can know about the Bashundhara Group for football. Bashundhara Kings club is a huge brand for Bashundhara Group. The conscious community looks at this matter with importance and eagerness. Bashundhara Group was the sponsor of the just concluded 14th SAFF Football Championship held in Bengaluru, India. They named the championship ‘Bangabandhu SAFF Football Championship 2023’.

In June last, a workshop was held in Malaysia’s Penang where sports journalists, columnists, football writers and analysts from various countries attended. A session of the workshop praised Bashundhara Group for creating a healthy environment for professional football by constructing necessary infrastructures.   

 Bashundhara Group is constructing a modern sports complex, an international standard own stadium with all facilities and other relevant infrastructures by investing hundreds of crore taka which is absent in south-east Asian countries at the club stage. These infrastructures have brightened the image of Bangladesh to the world. Various international matches, tournaments and championships can be organised at the modern stadium of Bashundhara Kings.  Bashundhara Kings has fulfilled all ‘requirements’ of AFC and FIFA as the first club in Bangladesh for professional football.     

Bashundhara Kings will represent the country at the AFC Champions League as the first team of Bangladesh. In the playoff, the club will face strong team Sharjah FC at Sharjah Stadium on August 15. The winning team will have to play one more game against Iran’s Tractor S.C. on August 22 to reach the group stage. AFC Champions League is always competitive. Participating in the league is a big challenge for Bashundhara Kings. The club has already started practice by including perfect players in the proper positions.  Bashundhara Kings coach Oscar Bruzon is accompanying the team from the very first. He has united the team players in a garland. Oscar Bruzon is a technical person. The Board of Directors of the club keeps confidence in him.

As a new club, Bashundhara Kings got success in the field. It is moving forward in domestic football by keeping behind the popular and traditional clubs. Professional executives are the main masters of the success of the club. These skilled workforces of the club are committed to running the team with their experience, wisdom, farsightedness, new thinking and discipline. The main force of Bashundhara Kings is all sorts of cooperation from Bashundhara Group management. Their only target is to revive Football.    

The number of supporters and fans of the club is increasing day by day for a continuous winning spree and recruiting foreign good players. Mohammedan Sporting Club and Abahani Dhaka are the names of emotion for a long in the country’s Football. Now, Bashundhara Kings turned itself into another name of emotion for Football fans. Football fans once again returned to the field for good football.

Bashundhara Kings President Imrul Hassan thinks it is the wrong idea that recruiting foreign players with huge money is essential to win a title. The main reason is the mutual understanding and performance of the players. It should notice that strikers make goals but defenders win titles. Bashundhara Kings become the champion for the fourth time in the 2022-23 season as the best team, not for the best players.

From East Pakistan to independent Bangladesh. 1948 to 2023. 75 years. Bashundhara Kings won four Premier League titles at a stretch as a new team which is made a new history in the country’s football.  No other clubs attain this achievement in the 75 years of Dhaka’s Football League. It is mentionable, Dhaka Football League started in 1915 in the undivided India. 1915 to 2023. 108 years. In this long period, Bashundhara Kings is the sole team which clinched four titles at a stretch.

Bashundhara Kings President Imrul Hassan said their many plans of three-year planning have already been implemented which are known to the conscious community. The club made a new history in Dhaka’s Football League. Now, the next target of the club is Kolkata Football League. Mohammedan Sporting Club won five titles in the league from 1934 to 1938 at a stretch. In Bangladesh, Bashundhara Kings clichéd four titles at a stretch for the first time. Its next target is to win the next title and become equivalent to Mohammedan’s Kolkata League record and make a new record in the sub-continent by winning the sixth title in the 2024-25 season. Bashundhara Kings always dreams big.  Its three-year planning emphasizes starting activities of its academy. The construction of the academic building is going on in full swing beside the sports complex. After completing the construction of the infrastructure, it will start to work with age-based teams. All age-based teams will be trained by a foreign coach. As a result, there will be no crisis of good players in the pipeline of Bashundhara Kings. Besides, it can sell players to other professional clubs. Players of the academy will be experienced with time.

* The writer is a columnist, analyst, and former vice president of AIPS Asia.

@ The article was published in print and online versions of the daily Kaler Kantho on 06 July 2023 and has been rewritten in English by Golam Rosul.