Dhaka Abahani

Abahani Limited Dhaka ( bn, ঢাকা আবাহনী লিমিটেড), also referred as Dhaka Abahani or Abahani Limited, is a Bangladeshi professional football club based in the Dhanmondi area of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The club currently competes in the Bangladesh Premier League, the top flight of Bangladeshi Football.

The club was founded as Abahani Krira Chakra ( bn, আবাহনী ক্রীড়া চক্র), through the re-organisation of Iqbal Sporting Club in 1972 by Sheikh Kamal, the eldest son of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. In 1989, it was converted into a Limited company. Abahani Limited Dhaka is regarded as one of the country's most renowned and well supported clubs. Since arriving in the domestic football scene, the club has formed a long enduring rivalry with the neighboring Dhaka Mohammedan SC, known as the Dhaka Derby.

The club has won eleven Dhaka League titles, which was the highest tier in Bangladesh until 2006. Since the inception of the country's first professional league, they have achieved a record seven Bangladesh Premier League titles. With 17 domestic league titles, they are the second most successful club in Bangladesh top-tier league history, with the first being rivals Dhaka Mohammedan SC. The club has won both Federation Cup (12 times) and the Independence Cup (2 times) trophies. They have also enjoyed success in both continental and subcontinental football, winning 3 trophies (Charms Cup, Bordoloi Trophy and Sait Nagjee Trophy) from India, while in 2019, Abhani became the first Bangladeshi club to reach the knockout stages of the AFC Cup.

History

The club won their first major domestic trophy in 1974 when they clinch the title of Dhaka League.
In 2007, Bangladesh Football Premier League was introduced by Bangladesh Football Federation. Dhaka Abahani won the 2007 B.League which was the first edition of the league. Dhaka Abahani Limited claimed their hat-trick titles of the Bangladesh Football Premier League by winning 2008–09 B.League & 2009–10 Bangladesh League respectively. After a one-season break, Dhaka Abahani won their fourth league trophy by winning 2012 Bangladesh Football Premier League. After a long trophyless run, Dhaka Abahani won the title of 2016 Bangladesh Federation Cup. The triumph drew an end to the wait of the Dhanmondi outfit as the club last won a silverware back in the 2010–11 season. They also won the title of 2016 Bangladesh Football Premier League with an unbeaten record. The team became the first team to win the professional league title with an unbeaten record under the guidance of experienced coach György Kottán. It was their fifth professional league title.

They started their 2016–17 season by retaining the title of 2017 Bangladesh Federation Cup. Equalling the record of arch-rival Dhaka Mohammedan, it was the 10th Bangladesh Federation Cup title for Abahani.
On 5 January 2018, Abahani also emerged as the champion of the Bangladesh Premier League for the record sixth time after they edged Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club 2–0 to confirm their second straight title with a game in hand. The club dedicated the title to their lifelong coach and former player Amalesh Sen, who died in October 2017.

Rivalries

Dhaka Derby

The ''Dhaka Derby'' between Abahani Limited Dhaka and Dhaka Mohammedan, is seen as the biggest game in Bangladeshi football, although the rivalry was bigger in the past. Dhaka Mohammedan and Dhaka Abahani had their first encounter during the 1973 Dhaka League. The late Amalesh Sen scored the first goal in that match and became the first-ever goal scorer in the history of the Derby. During the early 70s the rivalry began, after Abahani signed the country's poster boy at the time, Kazi Salahuddin, and broke Mohammedan's Dhaka League dominance by winning their first league title in 1974. The entirety of 80s and late 90s football scene in the country was dominated by the two forces. The derby has produced many memorable moments including an event in 1982, when four Abahani players were arrested at the end of the game. The early years saw many violent confrontation between the fans of both clubs, and usually lead to police intervention or matches to be played behind closed doors. Fans were prevented from bringing flares into stadiums, as the games were heavily guarded by authorities to prevent fights among supporters. However, since the inception of the country's first ever professional league, called the Bangladesh Premier League, the rivalry has lost its popularity among fans, locals and the media, in spite of the fact that it still remains as one of the biggest games of the year during every season, it is not as highly anticipated as in the past. The professional league era has seen Abahani dominate the rivalry, winning 6 league trophy's, while Mohammedan are still searching for their first. Abahani also lead the way when it comes to the country's main domestic cup as they have won 12 Federation Cup which is two more than their rivals. On 18 July 2019, Mohammedan earned their first victory over Abahani in 1496 days. Nonetheless, since the turn of the century Abahani have outperformed their rivals on both domestic and continental level, and in turn have produced a greater number of senior international players compared to Mohammedan, in recent years.

Current squad

Dhaka Abahani Limited squad for 2022–23 season.

Personnel

Current technical staff

Board of directors

Managerial records

Statistics

History

* Ali Imam (1983–1984)
* Kazi Salahuddin (1985–1987)
* Ashraf Uddin Ahmed Chunnu (1989)
* Kazi Salahuddin (1992–1994)
* Monem Munna (February 1998 – February 2005)
* Amalesh Sen (2000)
* Andrés Cruciani (February 2007 – May 2007)
* Amalesh Sen (May 2007 – 2010)
* Ali Akbar Pourmoslemi (2010–2011)
* Amalesh Sen (2010–11)
* Ali Akbar Pourmoslemi (December 2011 – 2012)
* Ardeshir Pournemat Vodehi (November 2012 – May 2013)
* Nathan Hall (October 2013 – November 2013)
* Amalesh Sen (November 2013 – December 2013)
* Ali Akbar Pourmoslemi (December 2013 – 2014)
* Amalesh Sen (2014)
* György Kottán (December 2014 – June 2015)
* Amalesh Sen (July 2015 – August 2015)
* Drago Mamić (April 2016)
* Amalesh Sen (April 2016 – May 2016)
* György Kottán (May 2016 – December 2016)
* Drago Mamić (February 2017 – November 2017)
* Atiqur Rahman Atiq (December 2017 – February 2018)
* Saiful Bari Titu (February 2018 – May 2018)
* Jakaria Babu (September 2018 – December 2018)
* Mário Lemos (December 2018 – Current)

Professional league era

The club's competitive record since the inception of the first professional league are listed below.

Asian club ranking

Honours and achievements

Domestic

League
* Bangladesh Premier League:
** Champions (6): 2007, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2012, 2016, 2017–18
* Dhaka League:
** Champions (11): 1974, 1977, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1989–90, 1992, 1994, 1995, 2001

Cup
* Federation Cup:
** Champions (12): 1982,Abahani shares the 1982 Federation Cup with Mohammedan SC, as no winner was announced between the two sides, after a 0–0 draw in the final. 1985, 1986, 1988, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2010, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021–22
* Independence Cup:
** Champions (2): 1990, 2021–22
* National Football Championship:
** Champions (1): 2000
* Liberation Cup:
** Champions (1): 1977
* DMFA Cup:
** Champions (1): 1994
* Independence Gold Cup (Rajshahi):
** Champions (1): 2005
* Super Cup:
** Champions (1): 2011

Invitational

* Sait Nagjee Trophy:
** Champions (1): 1989
* BTC Club Cup:
** Champions (1): 1991
* Charms Cup:
** Champions (1): 1994
* Bordoloi Trophy:
** Champions (1): 2010
* Independence Day Cup
** Runners-up (1): 1993

Notable players

*The players below had senior international cap(s) for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed, represented their countries before or after playing for ''Abahani Limited Dhaka''.

Asia
* Pakir Ali (1986–89)
* Samir Shaker (1987–88)
* Karim Allawi (1987–88)
* Yousef Mohammad (2022–present)

Africa
* Abdou Darboe (2015)

North America
* Kervens Belfort (2018–21)
* Daniel Colindres (2022–)

Notes

References

External links

Abahani Limited FIFA pageTeam info at GSA

{{Bangladesh Football Premier League

Abahani Limited Dhaka
Association football clubs established in 1972
Football clubs in Bangladesh
1972 establishments in Bangladesh