Rahmatganj relegated

Mohammedan striker Mohammad Rony (C) shapes up to shoot during their Grameenphone Bangladesh Premier League match against Rahmatganj MFS at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.Photo: STAR

Rahmatganj Muslim Friends Society have been relegated from top flight football after 10 years when the Old Dhaka Outfit suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Mohammedan SC in the Grameenphone Bangladesh Premier League at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.
Rahmatganj MFS, who were last season guilty of playing a 'compromised match' with holders Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club and subsequently handed monetary punishment, are at the bottom of the 11-team points table with nine points from 18 matches and on a streak of 11 straight defeats. They still have two matches in hand but it is not sufficient to overtake 10th-placed Arambagh KS who have 16 points from 18 matches.
The Old Dhaka Outfit, who were also alleged to have play a fixed match with Brothers Union in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League, entered the professional football league from its inception in 2007 after emerging champions in the Senior Division Football League, which they were forced to play after being relegated from the Premier Division Football League in the 2002-2003 season.
The latest relegation was their fourth such demotion, having been demoted to the Senior Division from the Premier Division twice since the Premier Division League was introduced in 1993.
Rahmatganj had entered the top flight of the First Division Football League in 1968 and have never been relegated from the then First Division League, according to club officials.
“Luck did not favour us this season though we played well in the league,” said Rahmatganj manager Hafez Haji Harun after the game.
Before being terminated with four matches left in the season, Rahmatganj coach Mahmudul Hasan Lition had often alleged that he could not get all players together to practise and could not arrive at a solution despite informing the club officials. Harun however ruled out Liton's claim saying that everything was in the right place and that the coach could handle things properly.
“We will now try to bring our club back to the Bangladesh Premier League after playing the second-tier league (Bangladesh Championship League),” said Harun.
On the other hand Mohammedan, with seven victories in 18 matches, climbed to fourth position from fifth with 28 points from 18 matches. Nigerian striker Nduka Uwa helped the Black and Whites post an easy win with a brace in the second half after Mohammad Rony put Mohammedan ahead in the third minute.
Mohammedan could have won the game with a bigger margin had Rony and Oladikpikpo W Okalawon not squandered a lot of chances.
Rony put Mohammedan ahead with a close-range tap in the third minute but the Black and Whites had to wait 65 minutes for the second goal. Nduka doubled the lead in the 68th minute when he rose high to nod a Rajani Kanta Barman cross from the left flank and sealed the fate of the game in the stoppage time through a close-range powerful shot.
Away at Tangail Stadium, a brace from Ismael Bangoura guided newcomers Team BJMC to a 2-1 win over Arambagh KS while Feni Soccer Club handed a single-goal defeat to Brothers Union at the Feni Stadium, thanks to a decisive goal from Iqbal.
BJMC are in third position with 30 points from 18 matches while Feni Soccer lifted their position to seventh with 19 points from 18 matches. Brothers Union and Arambagh stay at the ninth and tenth places with 18 and 16 points respectively after playing 18 matches.