Bylaws fiasco stretches BFL clash to nearly three hours

The high-stakes Bangladesh Football League clash between holders Bashundhara Kings and Bangladesh Police on Friday was overshadowed by a lengthy interruption caused by confusion over the eligibility of foreign players.

What should have been a routine 90-minute contest at the Bashundhara Kings Arena eventually stretched close to three hours before ending in a 1-1 draw.

The controversy began after Police replaced Brazilian forward Paulo Henrique -- who had been sent off after receiving a second yellow card -- with fellow Brazilian Danilo Azevedo.

Kings captain Topu Barman immediately objected, claiming the substitution violated league regulations regarding foreign players.

According to the bylaws, teams are allowed to field a maximum of three foreign players in a match, while foreign players may also replace other foreign players during play.

Police FC argued their decision was valid, citing a similar incident during their match against PWD on May 1, when PWD were permitted to introduce Ghanaian forward Kofi Junior after Brazilian Jonathan Santos had been sent off.

The dispute led to a suspension of around 75 minutes before Police eventually withdrew Danilo and continued the match with only two foreign players for the remaining 27 minutes.

The lengthy stoppage appeared to disrupt the rhythm of both teams, who failed to find a winner after Henrique had cancelled out Dorielton Gomes’ 35th-minute opener in the 53rd minute.

The whole scenario once again exposed the poor officiating in the top-tier domestic football as there was no red flag raised since the previous incident on May 1.

The draw at the Kings Arena, meanwhile, allowed title rivals Abahani to close the gap at the top of the table to just one point after a 2-0 win over PWD SC at Shaheed Barkat Stadium.

Souleymane Diabate and Shah Quazem Kirmanee scored for Abahani, who moved to 34 points from 16 matches, one behind leaders Bashundhara Kings.

Meanwhile, Fortis FC strengthened their third position with a commanding 7-1 victory over Fakirerpool Young Men's Club. Pa Omar Babou struck four times, while Onyekachi Okafor added a brace and Ananta Tamang scored the other goal as Fortis climbed to 31 points from 16 matches.