AFC Uttara
Association football club in Bangladesh
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Azampur Football Club Uttara (Bengali: আজমপুর ফুটবল ক্লাব উত্তরা), commonly known as AFC Uttara, is an association football club based in Azampur, Uttara, a suburb of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The club plays in the Bangladesh Championship League, the second level of Bangladeshi football league system.[1][2]
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| Full name | Azampur Football Club Uttara | ||
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| Nickname | AFCU | ||
| Founded | 2009 | ||
| Ground | Rafiq Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 25,000 | ||
| President | Saidur Rahman Manik | ||
| Head Coach | Vacant | ||
| League | Bangladesh Championship League | ||
| 2022–23 | Premier League, 11th of 11 (Relegated) | ||
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History
Formation and early years
In 2009, Azampur Club was built next to the Azampur railway line by renting the land owned by Bangladesh Railway. The club is located at the end of Road No. 19, Sector 4, Uttara. Local businessmen Shahidur Rahman Manik and Md Shahadat Hossain were respectively named the club's president and secretary. The club remained relatively inactive on the domestic football scene during the first decade since inception and first took part in the Pioneer Football League in 2013, without finding much success.[3]
Azampur were given automatic promotion to the fourth-tier after completing the required club licensing and participated in the 2018–19 Dhaka Second Division League. Although they failed to finish within the top three spots required for promotion to the third-tier, the Dhaka Senior Division League, the club were granted entry to the Bangladesh Championship League, the country's second-tier.
The club's badge, an inspiration of the badge of the club AFC Bournemouth, with a change in colour from black to green.
Match-fixing allegations and promotion
In preparation for the 2021–22 Bangladesh Championship League, the club appointed former Bangladesh national team forward Saifur Rahman Moni, as the head coach. Although the club were given direct entry to the second-tier due to their facilities, it was later reported that the club house had inhumane living standards, with 15 and 14 beds in two rooms, used to accommodate 25 players. Azampur's inaugural match in the BCL, ended with a 3–0 victory over Kawran Bazar PS.[3]
On 27 March 2022, Saifur Rahman Moni resigned from head coach duty, and imposed match-fixing allegations against the club. Moni stated that his last two games with the club, against Uttara FC (1–2) and Farashganj SC (3–1) were predetermined. After the allegations were made public, a player anonymously interviewed by Prothom Alo, admitted to the game being fixed, while Muktijoddha SKC midfielder Salahuddin Rubel, was also rumored to be involved. The club's players also accused Salahuddin Rubel of entering the clubhouse frequently without permission. When questioned about his frequent visits, Salahuddin stated that he had been asked to take care of club activities by the club president, Saidur Rahman Manik.[4]
Amdist the allegations Monowar Hossain Moyna, who was appointed from matchday nine of the league season, guided the club to promotion to the Bangladesh Premier League.[5] After almost 5 months of investigating, the Bangladesh Football Federation concluded that the club had not taken part in any fixed matches, thus allowing them entry to the 2022–23 Bangladesh Premier League.[6]
Current squad
- As of 27 March 2023
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Personnel
Current technical staff
- As of 7 November 2022
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Vacant |
| Assistant coach | Vacant |
Club officials
- As of January 2022
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| President |  Saidur Rahman Manik |
| Vice president | D.M. Shamim |
Coaching record
- As of 21 July 2023
| Head Coach | From | To | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | %W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saifur Rahman Moni |
February 2022 | 27 March 2022 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 37.50 |
| Monowar Hossain Moyna |
28 March 2022 | 20 June 2022 | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 24 | 10 | 57.14 |
| Ali Asgar Nasir |
November 2022 | 22 July 2023 | 26 | 0 | 5 | 21 | 13 | 76 | 0.00 |