Brothers return to BPL after two seasons

Traditional outfits Brothers Union returned to top-flight football after two seasons with a 1-0 win over Uttara Football Club in a Bangladesh Championship League (BCL) fixture in Kamalapur yesterday.

With two matches in hand, Brothers Union ensured a top-two spot and thus confirmed their Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) berth. Brothers' 45 points from 18 matches now place them two and nine points ahead of BFF Elite Academy and Gopalganj Sporting Club, respectively. However, BFF Elite Academy will not be advancing to BPL.

After getting promoted to the first division in 1975, Brothers Union stayed at the top-flight for 45 years before being relegated from BPL to BCL in the 2020-21 season. Once hailed as the country's third force in football, Brothers had skipped the last season by citing financial crisis before resuming action this season in the BCL.

"The journey was challenging and difficult because of a lack of training facilities and injury problems. However, I was hopeful to take Brothers to the premier division," said head coach Zahidul Islam Milon yesterday.

"A different motivation worked inside me as I once played for Brothers Union for five to seven years to earn bread and butter, so it was an opportunity for me to give back something to Brothers Union.

"I'm really happy to take Brothers Union to the Bangladesh Premier League," said Milon, who had guided Fortis FC to become the BCL champions last season, adding that his ultimate target is to see his charges finish on top of the league.