BFL restart in limbo despite elections ending

Despite most clubs continuing costly training camps, the Professional League Management Committee of the Bangladesh Football Federation appears reluctant to resume the second phase of the Bangladesh Football League (BFL).

The top-tier competition has been on hold since the first phase ended on January 3.

The BFL was expected to restart after the month-long mid-season break but was postponed due to the February 12 national elections. Five days after the polls, clubs are yet to receive even a draft fixture list, although discussions had pointed to a possible February 20 restart -- three days after the Federation Cup resumes on February 17.

While the top division remains stalled, the second-tier Bangladesh Championship League resumed on Sunday, and the final round of the Bangladesh Women’s Football League was completed on Friday, a day after the elections. The committee says it is still assessing the post-election situation, leaving top-flight clubs training without clarity.

“We have been training and spending money without purpose because we don’t know when the league will resume. The federation did not inform clubs about the possible resumption, though we have to plan training based on fixtures,” said a top club coach, requesting anonymity.

He added that the delay may be due to a few clubs yet to resume training, despite most teams preparing. A federation source said the BFL could restart later this month, as some clubs requested more preparation time. At the halfway stage, Bashundhara Kings and Fortis FC lead the 10-team table with 18 points each from nine matches, followed by Rahmatganj MFS (15), Bangladesh Police (14) and Abahani (13).