2019-20 season from December

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) yesterday decided to complete the 2019-20 football season within seven months, starting it in December through the Federation Cup.

The decision was made at a meeting of the professional football league committee (PFLC) at the BFF house in presence of representatives of Bangladesh Premier League clubs, who had earlier rejected the game’s local governing body’s draft plan to start the season in October in a bid to match the domestic calendar with the schedules of AFC Cup and Bangladesh national team’s international engagement. 

According to the new decisions, the players’ transfer window will open on October 1 and end on November 20 before the Federation Cup takes place in December. The 12th edition of the professional football league, which will start in January, will be completed within six months. 

The new decision means the next season will be deferred by two months compared to the just-concluded season, which got underway on October 28, 2018 and ended on August 3, 2019.

“The meeting has approved the points table of 2018-19 Bangladesh Premier League season with two teams -- NoFeL SC and Team BJMC – relegated.  Some clubs have demanded making the number of participating teams even so that they have to wait for less time for their respective matches. We will discuss it at an emergency executive meeting soon to decide the number of participating teams in the Bangladesh Premier League,” explained PFLC chairman and BFF’s senior vice-president Abdus Salam Murshedy.

Murshedy also said that they are planning to select nearest venues from Dhaka after the clubs proposed venues such as the Army Stadium, Kamalapur Stadium, Cumilla Stadium and Narsingdhi Stadium, subject to fulfilling criteria of becoming venues.

“We held the league in six venues this season and the number of venues won’t be reduced next season,” ensured Murshedy.

The meeting also accepted the clubs’ demand of increasing the number of registered foreign players from four to five even though only four players will be eligible to play in a single match like the last season. 

The under-18 tournament with participation of youth sides of Bangladesh Premier League clubs will be held from September 12, the meeting also decided.