Chittagong Abahani Limited ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম আবাহনী লিমিটেড), also spelled as Chattogram Abahani or Chittagong Abahoni, is a sports club based in
Chittagong
Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...
,
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
. A wing of Abahani Limited was established at Chittagong in 1980 known as Chittagong Abahani. Though it was established as a wing of
Abahani Limited, Chittagong Abahani has its own directorial board, club structure and operates separately at present. It is considered as the most successful football club from Chittagong. It is currently a team of the
Bangladesh Premier League
The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) ( bn, বাংলাদেশ প্রিমিয়ার লীগ) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league consisting of seven franchises. The BPL is one of the three professional cricket leagues in ...
(BPL), the top tier of
Bangladeshi football
Football is the second-most popular sport in Bangladesh, after cricket, and is governed by the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF). An interest in cricket resulting from the nation's success in Test cricket and participation in the Cricket World ...
.
The team was relegated from Bangladesh Premier League in
2010–11 season. It again gained the promotion to Premier League by becoming champion of the
2013 Bangladesh Championship League. The club host
Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup
Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup (), also known as Sheikh Kamal Gold Cup, is a biennial international club football tournament held in Bangladesh. The inaugural edition took place in 2015. It is hosted by the Chittagong Abahani in association ...
, a bi-annual tournament in memory of their founder,
Sheikh Kamal
Sheikh Kamal (5 August 1949 – 15 August 1975) was the eldest son of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, former President of Bangladesh and the younger brother of Sheikh Hasina, the current Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
Early life and education
Kamal com ...
. They won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2015. The club won their first major domestic trophy in 2016 by winning the
2016 Independence Cup under the guidance of Slovak coach
Jozef Pavlik. Chittagong Abahani had a fierce rivalry with
Chittagong Mohammedan
Chittagong Mohammedan Sporting Club ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম মোহামেডান স্পোর্টিং ক্লাব) is a sports club based in Chittagong, Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Re ...
earlier in Chittagong Premier League and later in Bangladesh Premier League.
History
1980–2000: Beginning
In late 1970s,
Didarul Alam Chowdhury
Didarul Alam Chowdhury is a Jatiya Party (Ershad)
The Jatiya Party ( bn, জাতীয় পার্টি, translit=Jatiyo Party, lit=National Party) is a conservative, nationalist political party in Bangladesh and is currently the mai ...
was inspired by the Dhaka-based club
Abahani Limited Dhaka
Abahani Limited Dhaka ( bn, ঢাকা আবাহনী লিমিটেড), also referred as Dhaka Abahani or Abahani Limited, is a Bangladeshi professional Association football, football club based in the Dhanmondi area of Dhaka, Ban ...
. He is a football organizer from
Chittagong
Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...
. Didarul wanted to establish a wing of Abahani in Chittagong for the betterment of Sports in Chittagong. He convened a meeting with other local organizers on 10 October 1980. With the meeting, Chittagong Abahani officially started its journey.
Iqbal Khan, popular footballer of Chittagong and father of
Tamim Iqbal
Tamim Iqbal Khan (Bengali: তামিম ইকবাল খান; born 20 March 1989), more popularly known as Tamim Iqbal, is a
Bangladeshi cricketer. He is the nephew of former Bangladesh skipper Akram Khan, the current chief selector of ...
&
Nafees Iqbal
Mohammad Nafees Iqbal Khan ( bn, মোহাম্মদ নাফিস ইকবাল খান; born 31 January 1985), better known as Nafees Iqbal, is a former Bangladeshi international cricketer. He played as a right-handed opening batsman ...
, played a vital role Chittagong Abahani's inception.
He also played for Chittagong Abahani. Chittagong Abahani won their first-ever Chittagong League title under his captaincy.
2000–2014: Journey at top level
Chittagong Abahani qualified for the
2000-01 National Football Championship by crowning 1999 Chittagong League title. The team finished 3rd in the NFC season. In
2001-02 National Football Championship, Ctg Abahani finished at Super Four. Chittagong Abahani also became runners-up twice of Chittagong League in 2000s decade.
In 2007,
Bangladesh Football Federation
Bangladesh Football Federation (, ''Bānlādēśa phuṭabala phēḍārēśana'') is the governing body that administrates the sport of association football in Bangladesh. It is in charge of running the country's men's and women's national tea ...
started
B. League
The B.League is a professional men's basketball league that began in Japan in September 2016. The league is operated by the Japan Professional Basketball League and was formed as a result of a merger between the National Basketball League that ...
(now Bangladesh Premier League), country's first professional football league. Chittagong Abahani was one of the founding teams of the league. After struggling in the first three seasons, Ctg Abahani relegated to
Bangladesh Championship League
Bangladesh Championship League (BCL) is the second-tier football league of Bangladesh run by the Bangladesh Football Federation. It was founded in 2012. The league is also known as TVS Championship League for sponsorship agreements from 2018–1 ...
in 2010–11 season.
The port city outfit finished at the bottom in their first BCL season. However, there was no relegation system for second tier in that time which saved the team from demotion. The Blue Pirates made a strong comeback in next season becoming Champion of 2013-14 BCL & came back to top tier. Chittagong Abahani finished at 9th in
2014-15 BPL, their returning season to top tier.
2015–present: Beginning of the revolutionary era
In November 2014, Tarafder Ruhul Amin of Saif Powertec Limited became chairman of Chittagong Abahani Directorial Board. Saif Powertec Limited becomes new sponsor of Chittagong Abahani.
In 2015, Chittagong Abahani organised inaugural edition of
Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup
Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup (), also known as Sheikh Kamal Gold Cup, is a biennial international club football tournament held in Bangladesh. The inaugural edition took place in 2015. It is hosted by the Chittagong Abahani in association ...
at
M. A. Aziz Stadium
The MA Aziz Stadium ( bn, এম এ আজিজ স্টেডিয়াম; also known as Chittagong Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Chittagong, Bangladesh. The local cricket and football teams play there and it is sometimes used b ...
, Chittagong before the 2015-16 domestic season. It was the first international club tournament at Chittagong since 1982. Chittagong Abahani won the tournament beating
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
giant
East Bengal
ur,
, common_name = East Bengal
, status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan
, p1 = Bengal Presidency
, flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg
, s1 = East ...
in final. The huge attendance of the final broke all the recent records. The port city outfit gave their arrival message as a rising giant with this tournament.
In May 2016, Chittagong Abahani won
2016 Independence Cup under their first ever foreign coach
Jozef Pavlik. It was the first domestic major trophy of the club history. Chittagong Abahani finished at 2nd in
2016 BPL, their best result ever. They signed Bangladesh national team Captain
Mamunul Islam,
Bhutan
Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainous ...
international
Chencho Gyeltshen
Chencho Gyeltshen (born 10 May 1996) is a Bhutanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for I-League club RoundGlass Punjab and captains the Bhutan national team. Gyeltshen is the all-time leading international goalscorer for Bhutan ...
, former
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
international
Fabrice Noel &
Leonel Saint Preux for this season.
Chittagong Abahani also become runners-up of
2017 Independence Cup,
2017 Federation Cup & finished 3rd in
2017-18 BPL. However, the Blue Pirates performed down in 2018–19 season as they knocked out from both tournaments in quarterfinal & obtained 8th position in the league.
Maruful Haque era
Current squad
Chittagong Abahani Ltd. squad for 2022–23 season.
Personnel
Current technical staff
''As of November 2022''
Coaches
* Asaduzzaman Jhontu (2015)
*
Shafiqul Islam Manik (10 August 2015 – 15 March 2016)
*
Jozef Pavlík (30 March 2016 – 21 September 2016)
*
Zulfiker Mahmud Mintu
Zulfiker Mahmud Mintu ( bn, জুলফিকার মাহমুদ মিন্টু; born 9 December 1977) is a Bangladeshi professional Football coach (association football), football coach and former player who last served as head coach ...
(22 September 2016 – 31 December 2016)
*
Saiful Bari Titu
Saiful Bari Titu (Bengali: সাইফুল বারী টিটু) is a Bangladeshi football coach and former football player, who was most recently the head coach of Bangladesh Premier League side Chittagong Abahani. He is the former head ...
(9 January 2017 – 4 January 2018)
*
Zulfiker Mahmud Mintu
Zulfiker Mahmud Mintu ( bn, জুলফিকার মাহমুদ মিন্টু; born 9 December 1977) is a Bangladeshi professional Football coach (association football), football coach and former player who last served as head coach ...
(4 January 2018 – 3 August 2019)
*
Maruful Haque
Maruful Haque ( bn, মারুফুল হক) is a Bangladeshi professional football coach and former player, who is currently the head coach of Sheikh Jamal DC.
He is the first-ever South Asian to get a UEFA A license in 2015.
Early s ...
(October 2019 – 28 August 2022)
*
Saiful Bari Titu
Saiful Bari Titu (Bengali: সাইফুল বারী টিটু) is a Bangladeshi football coach and former football player, who was most recently the head coach of Bangladesh Premier League side Chittagong Abahani. He is the former head ...
(9 November 2022 — present)
Management
Board of Directors
''As of January 2020.''
Team records
Head coach record
Top scorers by season
All-time top scorers
The table is a record of goals scored since 2017–18 season and accurate as of the end of the 2021–22 season. Goals scored in major competitions (
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
,
Federation Cup Federation Cup or Fed Cup is the former name of the premier world team competition in women's tennis.
Federation Cup may also refer to:
* Capital Football Federation Cup, an Australian territory-based association football tournament
*Federation Cup ...
&
Independence Cup) are counted in the above list.
Source
Soccerwayh2>
All-time top scorers in Premier League
The table is a record of goals scored since 2017–18 season and accurate as of the end of the 2021–22 season.
Source
Soccerway
Most appearances in Premier League
The table is a record of appearances made since 2017–18 season and accurate as of the end of the 2021–22 season.
Source
Soccerway
Recent seasons
Source
Stadium
The
M. A. Aziz Stadium
The MA Aziz Stadium ( bn, এম এ আজিজ স্টেডিয়াম; also known as Chittagong Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Chittagong, Bangladesh. The local cricket and football teams play there and it is sometimes used b ...
with 25000-plus capacity is the primary home venue of Chittagong Abahani. They play their home matches of BPL in this stadium. They also organise the Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup, a biannual international football tournament, at this stadium.
However, the club currently playing their home matches at
Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta Stadium of Cumilla. The club also used
Bangabandhu National Stadium
Bangabandhu National Stadium ( bn, বঙ্গবন্ধু জাতীয় স্টেডিয়াম, ''romanised: Bongobondhu jateeyo stediyaam''), also known as Dhaka Stadium, and formerly known as Dacca Stadium, is the national s ...
as home venue in some seasons due to
COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh
The COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The virus was confirmed to have spread to Bangladesh in March 2020. The first ...
and other reasons.
Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors
Honours
League
*
Bangladesh Premier League
The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) ( bn, বাংলাদেশ প্রিমিয়ার লীগ) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league consisting of seven franchises. The BPL is one of the three professional cricket leagues in ...
** Runners-up (1):
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
*
Bangladesh Championship League
Bangladesh Championship League (BCL) is the second-tier football league of Bangladesh run by the Bangladesh Football Federation. It was founded in 2012. The league is also known as TVS Championship League for sponsorship agreements from 2018–1 ...
** Champions (1):
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
* Chittagong Premier League
** Champions (1): 1998–99
** Runners-up (2): 2003–04, 2005–06
Cup
*
Independence Cup
** Winners (1):
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
** Runners-up (1):
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
*
Federation Cup Federation Cup or Fed Cup is the former name of the premier world team competition in women's tennis.
Federation Cup may also refer to:
* Capital Football Federation Cup, an Australian territory-based association football tournament
*Federation Cup ...
** Runners-up (1):
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
Invitational
*
Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup
Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup (), also known as Sheikh Kamal Gold Cup, is a biennial international club football tournament held in Bangladesh. The inaugural edition took place in 2015. It is hosted by the Chittagong Abahani in association ...
** Winners (1):
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
** Runners-up (1):
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
Notable overseas players
*Players listed below have had senior international cap(s) for their respective countries before, while and/or after playing at ''Chittagong Abahani''. The years indicate the time they played for the club.
Asia
*
Omid Popalzay
Omid Popalzay ( prs, امید پوپلزی; born 25 January 1996) is an Afghan footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Nejmeh SC, Nejmeh and the Afghanistan national football team, Afghanistan national team.
Youth
Before joining Achilles ...
(2021–2022)
*
Chencho Gyeltshen
Chencho Gyeltshen (born 10 May 1996) is a Bhutanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for I-League club RoundGlass Punjab and captains the Bhutan national team. Gyeltshen is the all-time leading international goalscorer for Bhutan ...
(2016–2017)
*
Daniel Tagoe
Daniel Nii Armah Tagoe (born 3 March 1986) is a Ghanaian- Kyrgyz international footballer who plays as a defender for Dushanbe-83 in the Tajikistan Higher League. He is also a member of the Kyrgyzstan national football team.
Club career
The G ...
(2018–2019)
*
Santosh Sahukhala
Santosh Sahukhala ( ne, सन्तोष साहुखल; born 10 January 1988) is a Nepali international football player.
Early life
As a child he played at the Madhyapur Football Club. His elder brother Bal Gopal Sahukhala is also a p ...
(2007–2010)
* Lok Bandhu Gurung (2008–2013)
*
Kiran Chemjong
Kiran Kumar Limbu ( ne, किरण चेम्जोङ), also known as Kiran Chemjong (born 24 March 1990), is a Nepalese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for I-League club RoundGlass Punjab and the Nepal national team.
C ...
(2008–2010)
Africa
*
William Twala (2021–2022)
North America
*
Leonel Saint-Preux (2016–2018)
*
Fabrice Noël
Fabrice Noël (born July 21, 1985 in Gressier) is a former Haitian footballer.
Career
Early life and career in Haiti
Noël grew up poor in the village of Gressier, 12 miles west of Port-au-Prince. He began playing soccer at a very young age, t ...
(2016)
See also
*
2022–23 Chittagong Abahani season
References
{{Reflist
External links
Abahani Chittagongat the
BFF
Association football clubs established in 1980
Football clubs in Bangladesh
Sport in Chittagong
1980 establishments in Bangladesh