BFL clubs finalise squads: WC midfielder Babatunde arrives, Robson returns

Nigerian footballers, including World Cup-playing midfielder Michael Babatunde, dominated Thursday’s player transfers as all 13 clubs completed their registration formalities for the Bangladesh Football League (BFL), signing a total of 445 players, including 65 foreigners.

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) increased the number of participating clubs to 13 from last season’s 10, paving the way for a larger and potentially more competitive league.

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Six-time league champions Abahani, despite financial constraints, surprised many by signing Babatunde, who featured against Argentina, Iran and Bosnia and Herzegovina at the 2014 World Cup as Nigeria advanced to the round of 16. The Sky Blues also signed three other Nigerians and a Pakistani player to strengthen their squad.

Having resolved several FIFA registration bans, five-time champions Bashundhara Kings also turned heads by bringing back Brazilian campaigner Robson Da Silva, who played for the club from 2020 to 2024 and helped them win all three league titles during that period.

Interestingly, Robson had lodged three complaints with FIFA over unpaid wages and other issues, all of which the Kings had to settle before re-signing him.

The Kings also signed another Brazilian and Nigerian forward Emeka Ogbugh, a familiar name in the BFL, while bringing in three Nepal internationals -- Rohit Chand, Anjan Bista and Manish Dangi. They also added several current national players, including Mehedi Hasan Srabon, Topu Barman, Sohel Rana, Md Ridoy, Bishwanath Ghosh, Quazem Kirmanee and Taj Uddin, along with several players who have fallen out of the national setup.

Mohammedan SC retained Uzbek midfielder Muzaffarjon Muzaffarov and brought back three foreign players -- Malian Souleymane Diabate and Nigerians Emmanuel Sunday and Emanuel Tony -- who played key roles in the club’s maiden league title triumph in the 2024-25 season. The Black and Whites also signed several current national players, including Anisur Rahman Zico, Sujan Hossain, Sohel Rana, Zahid Hasan Shanto, Saad Uddin and Faisal Ahmed Fahim.

Fortis FC, Bangladesh Police FC, Brothers Union, promoted City Club and Chittagong City FC also assembled competitive squads. The BFL is expected to begin in October after the Bangladesh national team’s FIFA ASEAN Cup commitments in Indonesia.

Each club were eligible to register a maximum of 35 players, including seven foreigners -- three from SAARC countries and four from outside the region. Brothers Union were the only club to use all seven foreign slots, while the other 12 clubs signed five or six foreigners.

Of the 65 foreign players, 45 were registered under the four non-SAARC slots, while 20 came through the SAARC quota -- 15 from Nepal, four from Pakistan and one from Sri Lanka.

Eight clubs filled their 35-player quota, while Abahani, Fortis FC, Police FC, Rahmatganj MFS and Chittagong City FC registered between 32 and 34 players.