For all latest news, follow the Daily Sun's Google News channel.
Bangladesh is currently swept up in a wave of football frenzy. Late-night viewings of World Cup football matches have become a nationwide festival. The entire country seems divided into two factions: Argentina and Brazil. Of course, supporters of other teams are not few in number either. There are plenty of fans of Mbappe’s France, Ronaldo’s Portugal, Harry Kane’s England, Hakimi’s Morocco, and four-time champions Germany. In this World Cup, Cape Verde—a newcomer nation of six hundred thousand people that caused a stir with two draws—certainly has more Bangladeshi supporters than its own total population.
From cities to villages across Bangladesh, arrangements are made to watch matches on big screens. Among these gatherings, the most talked-about is the football match viewings in the Dhaka University area. On the match days of Argentina and Brazil, the TSC intersection turns into a mini Argentina or Brazil. Not only university students but also people from various walks of life come to the university campus to watch the games. Coming here, you might easily feel as though you are watching the match inside a stadium. On the night Lionel Messi broke the World Cup goal-scoring record, the Argentinian Ambassador assigned to Bangladesh came to Dhaka University’s Mohsin Hall to enjoy the game. Amidst the jubilation of the Argentine supporters at Dhaka University, Ambassador Marcelo Carlos Cēsa* said, “I feel like I am in my own country. It feels like I am in Argentina.”
In this manner, special arrangements are made in the residential halls of Dhaka University on the occasion of the World Cup. Big screens are set up in every hall to show the matches. Apart from Dhaka University, grand arrangements take place on the campuses of all public universities across the country. It is not just limited to educational institutions; special World Cup events are now running from five-star hotels to various cafes and restaurants. At homes too, the rush of staying up late to watch the games has taken over. Young men and women enjoy the matches wearing the jerseys of their favorite teams. Many even wear their chosen jerseys throughout the entire duration of the World Cup.
The whole of Bangladesh seems covered in the national flags of Brazil and Argentina. In between the gaps, a few flags of France, Germany, and Portugal can be seen. A few villages have even been decorated entirely in the colors and flags of Argentina and Brazil. Supporters of these two teams bring out processions upon their team’s victory. They distribute sweets by spending money from their own pockets. Some even slaughter cows and goats to feast and entertain fellow supporters. Incidents of brawls and tension between the rival factions are also occurring. Meanwhile, a competition of trolls and comments is raging on social media.
The World Cup seems to have made us forget everything for a month and a half. Leaving aside the poverty, uncertainty, frustration, and anxiety around us, we have immersed ourselves in the World Cup frenzy. In this country of two hundred million people, it is difficult to find a person who does not like football or has no interest in the World Cup. The people of this country are crazy about football. Festivals are rare occasions in this country, and the World Cup seems to bring us the atmosphere of a grand mega-festival.
Yet, this football-crazy nation has never played in the World Cup. Let alone the World Cup, after independence, it played in the Asia Cup only once, back in 1980. This year, the women’s football team participated in the Women’s Asia Cup. Our record in SAF Football is not great either. We became champions in 2003, but since then, we have had no success in this tournament. Bangladesh’s position in the FIFA rankings is 181. In a country with millions of fans, why is the state of football so miserable?
According to a FIFA study, the most important contribution to the development of football in a country comes from its spectators. If football is popular in a country, the future of football there is bright. But how accurate is this research for Bangladesh? The football craze in Bangladesh is comparable to that of England, Argentina, or Brazil. Yet, why is our football so sickly and near-dead? Amidst all this excitement over the World Cup, we need to find the answer to this question.
The reason football is still surviving in Bangladesh is due to the contribution of Bashundhara, the country’s largest industrial group. Bashundhara is now the sole hope for Bangladesh’s football.
Around the world, clubs are the guardians of football culture in every country. From the very beginning, the contribution of clubs—the lifeblood of football—in nurturing football, developing new talent, producing players consistently, and popularizing the game, has always been memorable. The academy activities of Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal, and Man City are widely discussed and emulated in the football world.
In post-independence Bangladesh, clubs have never taken initiatives to produce players from the very ‘entry level’ in a planned manner. They rely heavily on ready-made local players and those approved by the BFF (Bangladesh Football Federation). Because of this, the country’s football could not become self-reliant. The picture of the football field over the past 53 years stands as a testament to the betrayal of the country’s football.
With the aim of changing this situation, the Bashundhara Group initiated its efforts. Bashundhara Kings is the first truly professional football club in post-independence Bangladesh that has undertaken the initiative to change the structure of Bangladeshi football, modeled after global club football. The club has transformed the landscape and color of the country’s football. From the very beginning, it walked the path of football reform. Steering with a specific goal, objective, aspiration, and dream, the club did not limit itself to the domestic map; it has successfully generated discussions in South Asian countries and beyond as the only ‘true professional’ club in Bangladesh.
In terms of success in domestic professional football battles, it has broken all past records to create new history. Inspired by modern thinking, the club has introduced a new trend in the country’s club football from its inception. The club has managed to become a role model for other clubs. Behind the Bashundhara Group’s investment of thousands of crores of taka aimed at improving the standard of sports in the country, patronizing sports culture, and brightening the country’s image in the international sports arena, lies the deep affection and love for sports of the group’s chairman, Ahmed Akbar Sobhan.
However, it is unfortunate that no other industrial entrepreneur or industrial group like Bashundhara has come forward to improve the quality of football. Apart from Bashundhara Kings, other clubs have not yet been able to operate with professionalism. Once-popular clubs like Abahani, Mohammedan, or Brothers Union do not have a specific source of income. A club can perhaps be managed somehow with donations and money from club housie (bingo) games, but the standard of football cannot be improved this way. There are about thirty large industrial groups in Bangladesh. If each of them takes responsibility for a club and develops it on the model of Bashundhara Kings, it would not take long for the good days of our football to return. For this, the government must hold talks with these industrial groups.
The regulatory body of football in Bangladesh is the BFF (Bangladesh Football Federation). The BFF must change its outlook to improve the standard of football. Football has not flourished under state patronage in any country in the world. The only proven way to develop football is through long-term planning via club football.
There is currently a massive global stir surrounding Lionel Messi, the greatest player of the modern football era. However, Messi was not created by the Argentine Football Association; he was developed by Barcelona. The story of a shy boy suffering from growth-related issues in his childhood turning into the world’s best footballer surpasses even fairy tales. His growth hormone problem was diagnosed during his childhood while playing for Grandoli and Newell’s Old Boys. Unable to afford the cost of treatment, he moved to Spain at the age of 13 and joined Barcelona’s famous La Masia Academy. The Messi of today was actually born at the Barcelona club. Not just Messi, the real life of all football stars begins at the club level. To breathe new life into Bangladesh’s football, a revival of club football must be initiated.
Bashundhara Kings has kept a near-dead football alive. To bring about a renaissance in the country’s football, more complete clubs like Bashundhara must be established. In this regard, the BFF and the government must extend their cooperation. We need to overhaul our football based on a solid plan. New players must be produced. And above all, sports must be kept free from politics. It is simply unacceptable that a country with millions of football fans should lag so far behind in football.
_________________________________________________
Audite Karim is a writer and playwright. Email: [email protected]