Abahani Limited (Chittagong)
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Chittagong Abahani Limited (), also spelled as Chattogram Abahani or Chittagong Abahoni, is a
sports club A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports. Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...
based in
Chittagong Chittagong ( ), officially Chattogram, (, ) (, or ) is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It ...
, Bangladesh. A wing of Abahani Limited was established at Chittagong in 1980, known as Chittagong Abahani. It is one of the most successful
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
clubs in the country. It currently competes in the
Bangladesh Premier League Bangladesh Premier League (), also known as Dutch-Bangla Bank BPL for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in Bangladesh organised by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). It was formed in 2011 by the BCB, after the su ...
(BPL), the top tier of Bangladeshi football. The team was relegated from the BPL in the 2010–11 season. It regained promotion to the BPL by becoming champion of the 2013 Bangladesh Championship League. The club host Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup, a bi-annual tournament in memory of their founder, Sheikh Kamal. They won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2015. The club won their first major domestic trophy in 2016 by winning the 2016 Independence Cup under the guidance of Slovak coach Jozef Pavlik. Chittagong Abahani had a fierce rivalry with Chittagong Mohammedan earlier in Chittagong Premier League and later in Bangladesh Premier League.


History


1980–2000: Beginning

In the late 1970s, Didarul Alam Chowdhury was inspired by the Dhaka-based club
Abahani Limited Dhaka Abahani Limited Dhaka (), also referred as Dhaka Abahani or Abahani Limited, is a Bangladeshi professional Association football, football club based in the Dhanmondi area of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The club currently competes in the Bangladesh Pr ...
. He is a football organizer from
Chittagong Chittagong ( ), officially Chattogram, (, ) (, or ) is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It ...
. Didarul wanted to establish a wing of Abahani in Chittagong for the betterment of Sports in Chittagong. He convened a meeting with other local organizers on 10 October 1980. With the meeting, Chittagong Abahani officially started its journey. Iqbal Khan, popular footballer of Chittagong and father of national cricketers
Tamim Iqbal Tamim Iqbal Khan ( Bengali: তামিম ইকবাল খান; born 20 March 1989), commonly known as Tamim Iqbal, is a Bangladeshi former international cricketer and commentator from Chittagong who was captain of the national team in O ...
&
Nafees Iqbal Mohammad Nafees Iqbal Khan (; born 31 January 1985), better known as Nafees Iqbal, is a former Bangladeshi international cricketer. He played as a right-handed opening batsman, and was a part-time right-arm medium pace bowler. Biography Nafees ...
, played a vital role in Chittagong Abahani's inception. He also played for Chittagong Abahani. Chittagong Abahani won their first-ever Chittagong League title under his captaincy.


2000–2014: Journey at top level

Chittagong Abahani qualified for the 2000-01 National Football League after being crowned the 1999 Chittagong League title. The team finished 3rd in the inaugural season under coach
Abu Yusuf Ya'qub ibn Ibrahim al-Ansari (), better known as Abu Yusuf () (729–798) was an Islamic jurist, as well as a student of Abu Hanifa (d.767) and Malik ibn Anas (d.795), who helped spread the influence of the Hanafi school of Islamic law, and w ...
. In 2001-02 National Football League, Ctg Abahani finished in the Super Four once again. Chittagong Abahani also became runners-up twice in the Chittagong League during 2000s. In 2007,
Bangladesh Football Federation Bangladesh Football Federation (, ''Bānglādesh fūṭbôl fēḍārēshôn'') is the governing body that administers the sport of association football in Bangladesh. It is in charge of running the country's men's and women's national teams, ...
started B. League (now Bangladesh Premier League), country's first professional football league. Chittagong Abahani was one of the founding teams of the league. After struggling in the first three seasons, Ctg Abahani relegated to
Bangladesh Championship League Bangladesh Championship League (), simply known as the BCL and officially Bashundhara Group, ABG Bashundhara Bangladesh Championship League since 2023 for sponsorship reasons, is the second-tier professional association football, football league ...
in 2010–11 season. The port city outfit finished at the bottom in their first BCL season. However, there was no relegation system for second tier in that time which saved the team from demotion. The Blue Pirates made a strong comeback in next season becoming Champion of 2013-14 BCL & came back to top tier. Chittagong Abahani finished at 9th in 2014-15 BPL, their returning season to top tier.


2015–present: Beginning of the revolutionary era

In November 2014, Tarafder Ruhul Amin of Saif Powertec Limited became chairman of Chittagong Abahani Directorial Board. Saif Powertec Limited becomes new sponsor of Chittagong Abahani. In 2015, Chittagong Abahani organised inaugural edition of Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup at M. A. Aziz Stadium, Chittagong before the 2015-16 domestic season. It was the first international club tournament at Chittagong since 1982. Chittagong Abahani won the tournament beating
Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
giant
East Bengal East Bengal (; ''Purbô Bangla/Purbôbongo'') was the eastern province of the Dominion of Pakistan, which covered the territory of modern-day Bangladesh. It consisted of the eastern portion of the Bengal region, and existed from 1947 until 195 ...
in final. The huge attendance of the final broke all the recent records. The port city outfit gave their arrival message as a rising giant with this tournament. In May 2016, Chittagong Abahani won 2016 Independence Cup under their first ever foreign coach Jozef Pavlik. It was the first domestic major trophy of the club history. Chittagong Abahani finished at 2nd in 2016 BPL, their best result ever. They signed Bangladesh national team Captain Mamunul Islam,
Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...
international Chencho Gyeltshen, former
Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...
international Fabrice Noel & Leonel Saint Preux for this season. Chittagong Abahani also become runners-up of 2017 Independence Cup, 2017 Federation Cup & finished 3rd in 2017-18 BPL. However, the Blue Pirates performed down in 2018–19 season as they knocked out from both tournaments in quarterfinal & obtained 8th position in the league.


Maruful Haque era


Current squad


Personnel


Current technical staff

''As of 5 April 2024''


Management


Board of directors

''As of January 2023.''


Team records


Head coach record


Top scorers by season


All-time top scorers

The table is a record of goals scored since 2017–18 season and accurate as of the end of the 2022–23 season. Goals scored in major competitions (
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
, Federation Cup & Independence Cup) are counted in the list below. Source
Soccerway


All-time top scorers in Premier League

The table is a record of goals scored since 2017–18 season and accurate as of the end of the 2022–23 season. Source
Soccerway


Most appearances in Premier League

The table is a record of appearances made since 2017–18 season and accurate as of the end of the 2022–23 season. Source
Soccerway


Recent seasons

Source


Stadium

The M. A. Aziz Stadium is the primary home venue of Chittagong Abahani. However, the club also plays their home matches at Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium of
Munshiganj Munshiganj (), historically known as Bikrampur, is a town in Dhaka division in central Bangladesh. It is the headquarters of Munshiganj District. Munshiganj is one of the world's oldest continually inhabited urban place. Etymology Munshiganj w ...
. The club also used
Bangabandhu National Stadium National Stadium, Dhaka () is a multipurpose sports arena and the national stadium of Bangladesh. Located in the Motijheel area of Dhaka, it is predominantly used for Association football, football matches and serves as the home venue for the B ...
and
Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta Stadium Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta Stadium (), also known as Comilla Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium located in Comilla, Bangladesh. It served as home venue of football clubs Dhaka Mohammedan and Abahani Limited Dhaka during the 2021–22 Bangladesh ...
as home venues in some seasons.


Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors


Honours


League

*
Bangladesh Premier League Bangladesh Premier League (), also known as Dutch-Bangla Bank BPL for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in Bangladesh organised by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). It was formed in 2011 by the BCB, after the su ...
** Runners-up (1):
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
*
Bangladesh Championship League Bangladesh Championship League (), simply known as the BCL and officially Bashundhara Group, ABG Bashundhara Bangladesh Championship League since 2023 for sponsorship reasons, is the second-tier professional association football, football league ...
** Champions (1):
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
* Chittagong Premier League ** Champions (4): 1980, 1994, 1996, 1998–99 ** Runners-up (2): 2003–04, 2005–06


Cup

* Independence Cup ** Winners (1):
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
** Runners-up (1):
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
* Federation Cup ** Runners-up (1):
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...


Invitational

* Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup ** Winners (1):
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
** Runners-up (1):
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...


Notable overseas players

* Players listed below have had senior international cap(s) for their respective countries before, while and/or after playing at ''Chittagong Abahani''. The years indicate the time they played for the club. Asia *
Omid Popalzay Omid Popalzay (Pashto & ; born 25 January 1996) is an Afghan professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Liga 2 club PSIM Yogyakarta and the Afghanistan national team. Youth Before joining Achilles '29 in 2015 Omid Popal ...
(2021–2022) * Chencho Gyeltshen (2016–2017) * Daniel Tagoe (2018–2019) *
Santosh Sahukhala Santosh Sahukhala (; born 10 January 1988) is a Nepali international football forward. Early life As a child he played at the Madhyapur Football Club. His elder brother Bal Gopal Sahukhala is also a professional footballer. He started playi ...
(2007–2010) * Lok Bandhu Gurung (2008–2013) * Kiran Chemjong (2008–2010) Africa * William Twala (2021–2022) * Abu Azeez (2023) North America * Leonel Saint-Preux (2016–2018) * Walson Augustin (2017) * Fabrice Noël (2016)


Notes


References


External links


Chittagong Abahani
at BD League
Chittagong Abahani
at the Soccerway * * * {{Bangladesh Football Premier League, state=expanded Association football clubs established in 1980 Football clubs in Bangladesh Sport in Chittagong 1980 establishments in Bangladesh