2007 B.League
1st professional season of the top-flight football league in Bangladesh
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The 2007 B.League was the 31st season of top-flight football in Bangladesh, and inaugural season of the country's first professional national football league, the B.League. The competitions included a total of 11 teams from which 8 were based in Dhaka, 2 from Chittagong and 1 team from Khulna. Sylhet DSA who were supposed to represent Sylhet withrew a month before the league began and the Bangladesh Football Federation decided against replacing them.[1][2]
| |
| Season | 2007 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 2 March — 1 August |
| Champions | Dhaka Abahani |
| AFC President's Cup | Dhaka Abahani |
| Matches | 110 |
| Goals | 273 (2.48 per match) |
| Top goalscorer |  Junior Obagbemiro (16 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Dhaka Mohammedan 7–0 Chittagong Mohammedan (20 June 2007) |
| Biggest away win | Rahmatganj MFS 0–7 Dhaka Abahani (23 June 2007) |
| Highest scoring | Dhaka Mohammedan 7–1 Rahmatganj MFS (13 April 2007) |
2008–09 → | |
Previously, the Dhaka Senior Division League, was the country's top-tier football competition. However, it was not held after the 2004–05 season, which ended on 12 September 2005.[3][4] Consequently, before the introduction of the professional league, the country went almost 18 months without any top-tier league football. Excluding the three relegated teams (Dhaka Wanderers, Fakirerpool YMC, and Dipali JS), seven teams from the previous top-flight season, along with Rahmatganj MFS, Chittagong Mohammedan SC, Chittagong Abahani, and Khulna Abahani SC, made up the inaugural season of the professional league.
Initially the season was set to start from January 2006 as part of The Vision Asia project guided by AFC.[5] However, after numerous delays the transfer window was opened on 15 December 2006.[6] The ceremonial draw for the competition was held on 22 February 2007.[7] On 28 February 2007, Channel i were given the rights to broadcast 40 matches from the league.[8] The league kicked off on 2 March 20007, with Dhaka Abahani and Muktijoddha Sangsad KC playing out a goalless draw.[9] The a month-long mid-season transfer window opened on 16 May 2007.[10]
The league concluded on 1 August 2007, with Dhaka Abahani winning the inaugural season.[11]
Teams
Initially, 12 teams were set to participate in the league; however, Sylhet DSA withdrew. The Dhaka Senior Division League, which was last held in 2004–05, served as the previous top-tier league. Excluding the three relegated clubs, the remaining seven clubs from that season, along with the 2004–05 Dhaka First Division League (second-tier from 1993 to 2005) champions, Rahmatganj MFS, were granted entry into the league.[12] Additionally, three clubs—Chittagong Mohammedan SC, Chittagong Abahani and Khulna Abahani SC—received direct entry into the league.[13]
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dhaka Abahani | Dhaka | Bangabandhu National Stadium | 36,000 |
| Dhaka Mohammedan | |||
| Muktijoddha Sangsad KC | |||
| Rahmatganj MFS | |||
| Sheikh Russel KC | |||
| Arambagh Krira Sangha | |||
| Brothers Union | |||
| Farashganj SC | |||
| Chittagong Abahani | Chittagong | M. A. Aziz Stadium | 20,000 |
| Chittagong Mohammedan | |||
| Khulna Abahani | Khulna | Khulna District Stadium | 15,000 |
Personnel and sponsoring
| Team | Head coach |
|---|---|
| Arambagh KS |  Kazi Jolly |
| Brothers Union |  Syed Nayeemuddin |
| Chittagong Abahani | Sawpan Kumar Das |
| Chittagong Mohammedan | Nazrul Islam Ledu |
| Dhaka Abahani | Amalesh Sen |
| Dhaka Mohammedan | Shafiqul Islam Manik |
| Farashganj SC | Mir Mohammed Faruque |
| Khulna Abahani | Hemayet Ullah |
| Muktijoddha Sangsad KC | Abu Yusuf |
| Rahmatganj MFS | Motaleb Hossain |
| Sheikh Russel KC | Wazed Gazi |
Coaching changes
| Team | Outgoing head coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming head coach | Date of appointment | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dhaka Abahani |  Andres Cruciani |
Mutual Consent | 7 May 2007 | 1 | Amalesh Sen |
8 May 2007 | [14] |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dhaka Abahani (C) | 20 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 36 | 8 | +28 | 47 | Qualification for the AFC President's Cup group stage |
| 2 | Dhaka Mohammedan | 20 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 40 | 13 | +27 | 40 | |
| 3 | Muktijoddha Sangsad | 20 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 29 | 19 | +10 | 33 | |
| 4 | Sheikh Russel | 20 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 23 | 13 | +10 | 33 | |
| 5 | Brothers Union | 20 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 32 | 19 | +13 | 29 | |
| 6 | Arambagh KS | 20 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 22 | 23 | −1 | 27 | |
| 7 | Chittagong Mohammedan | 20 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 20 | 26 | −6 | 26 | |
| 8 | Farashganj SC | 20 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 17 | 22 | −5 | 22 | |
| 9 | Khulna Abahani | 20 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 21 | 43 | −22 | 16 | |
| 10 | Chittagong Abahani | 20 | 4 | 3 | 13 | 18 | 39 | −21 | 15 | |
| 11 | Rahmatganj MFS | 20 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 15 | 48 | −33 | 13 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions
Statistics
There have been 273 goals scored in 110 matches, for an average of 2.48 goals per match. Source: archive.bff.com.bd
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Junior Obagbemiro |
Brothers Union | 16 |
| 2 | Paul Mawachukwu |
Dhaka Mohammedan | 14 |
| 3 | Christina Emeka |
Dhaka Mohammedan | 12 |
| Zahid Hasan Ameli |
Dhaka Abahani | ||
| 5 | Alfaz Ahmed |
Muktijoddha Sangsad KS | 8 |
 Nicodemus Anunda Gichana |
Arambagh KS | ||
| Mohamed Hedayetullah Robin |
Farashganj SC | ||
| 8 |  Touati Younes |
Sheikh Russel KC | 7 |
| 9 |  Abraham Bobby |
Chittagong Abahani | 6 |
 Awudu Ibrahim |
Dhaka Abahani | ||
 Iddi Badambuze |
Arambagh KS | ||
| Saifur Rahman Moni |
Muktijoddha Sangsad KS |
Own goals
† Bold Club indicates winner of the match
| Player | Club | Opponent | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharif Khan | Arambagh KS | Brothers Union | 1–3 | 3 April 2007 |
| Mamun Khan | Farashganj SC | Rahmatganj MFS | 1–1 | 3 April 2007 |
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Mawachukwu6 | Dhaka Mohammedan | Rahmatganj MFS | 7–1 (H) | 13 March 2007 | [15] |
| Alfaz Ahmed | Muktijoddha Sangsad KC | Rahmatganj MFS | 4–1 (A) | 27 March 2007 | [16] |
| Junior Obagbemiro | Brothers Union | Rahmatganj MFS | 6–2 (A) | 10 May 2007 | [17] |
| Christina Emeka | Dhaka Mohammedan | Chittagong Mohammedan | 7–0 (H) | 7 June 2007 | [18] |
| Junior Obagbemiro4 | Brothers Union | Khulna Abahani | 5–0 (A) | 10 June 2007 | [19] |
| Zahid Hasan Ameli4 | Dhaka Abahani | Rahmatganj MFS | 7–0 (A) | 7 June 2007 | [20] |
| Christina Emeka | Dhaka Mohammedan | Rahmatganj MFS | 3–1 (A) | 7 July 2007 | [21] |
Awards
A prize distribution ceremony was held by the Bangladesh Football Federation on 5 August 2007.[22]
Individual
| Award | Player | Club | Reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest Scorer | Junior Obagbemiro | Brothers Union | Tk 25,000 |
| Best Player | Zahid Hasan Ameli | Dhaka Abahani | Tk 25,000 |
| Fair Play Trophy | Chittagong Mohammedan | ||
Prize Money
| Position | Club | Prize money |
|---|---|---|
| Champions | Dhaka Abahani | Tk 5 lakh |
| Runners-up | Dhaka Mohammedan | Tk 3 lakh |
| Third place | Muktijoddha Sangsad KC | Tk 2 lakh |
| Fourth place | Sheikh Russel KC | Tk 1 lakh |