Clubs set transfer window
All the Premier Division Hockey League clubs unanimously took the decision to participate in the inter-club players' transfers, being held after a two year hiatus, and scheduled the three-day window to begin on March 27 during a league committee meeting yesterday.
After the National Sports Council formed the Bangladesh Hockey Federation (BHF) ad-hoc committee on January 11 there were concerns that a few clubs may boycott the much-needed hockey league, which is also returning after a two-year gap, as they were against the ad-hoc committee. Four clubs did not even send the names of their respective representatives to the committee within the stipulated deadline.
However representatives of all 13 clubs, with the exception of Azad SC, attended the first league committee meeting and expressed their desire to play in the premier league, which was last held in 2016.
“I have been in the league committee for the last 15 years but I have never seen all clubs reach a consensus with everything discussed at the meeting but it happened this time,” Abahani representative Zaki Ahmed Ripon told reporters after the meeting at the Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium.
“The dispute regarding the elections and ad-hoc committee is a different matter which has no relation with the players' transfers. Usha KC is always in favour of playing and we want to play the league. We will take part in the transfers timely,” opined Usha KC representative Sefayet Hossain Dalim.
“Everyone agreed to play the domestic competitions and Mohammedan also want to play the league. But we want a healthy environment so that every team can take part in the league smoothly,” said Mohammedan SC representative Ariful Haque Prince.
The BHF executive committee had initially set a tentative date for the transfers for February 18 to 20, so that national team players would be able to fly out to Oman and take part in the Asian Games Qualifiers having completed the transfers, but the league committee deferred it by nearly a month following the demands from clubs'.
“The clubs wanted some time to arrange money to take part in the transfers, so the meeting accepted their demands and fixed the date for March 27 to 29 and the players will take part in the transfer soon after their arrival from Oman after playing the qualifying tournament,” informed league committee secretary Kazi Moinuzzaman Pila.
At the meeting it was also decided that the quota for foreign recruits will be reduced from five to four, though the clubs will be allowed to register a total of seven foreign players. Each participating team will also be allowed to sign up to four players each from service teams such as Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan (BKSP) in a bid to make the tournament more competitive.
The hockey season will kick off with the Club Cup tournament ten days after the transfer deadline while the premier league will begin two-three days after the completion of the Club Cup, with Both tournaments set to take place under the newly installed floodlights at the Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium.