Free of FIFA ban, Abahani into a rough rebuild

Abahani have shifted their focus to forming their squad for the upcoming season after FIFA lifted their third and final registration ban yesterday, but the six-time Bangladesh Football League champions are struggling to sign their preferred players.

The Sky Blues are banking on last season's squad despite the club management's instruction to build a youthful squad that can be retained for the next few seasons.

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Coach Maruful Haque has been unofficially retained for a third successive season, while former Bangladesh international Shahid Hossain Swapan is set to replace long-serving manager Satyajit Das Rupu. An official announcement is expected after director Anjan Chowdhury Pintu returns on Thursday.

The lifting of the ban clears Abahani to obtain their league licence and register players, but finances remain a major constraint.

An Abahani high official, seeking anonymity, said, “We can’t afford a strong team because we have to clear USD 180,000 (nearly 2.2 crore taka) in overdue payments by December in monthly instalments, so we are going for a youthful squad we can keep for the next three seasons.”

Maruful, meanwhile, is struggling to assemble his preferred squad as most of the young players he wanted have already signed elsewhere.

“We are now in zero position regarding the squad,” Maruful told The Daily Star yesterday.

“We have to bank on last season’s players. If we can retain 80 percent of them, we believe we can fight for the title,” added the UEFA A-licensed coach, who guided Abahani to back-to-back runners-up finishes.

Whether Abahani can retain them remains uncertain, with the club operating on a moderate budget after clearing a large amount of overdue payments.

New manager Swapan also stressed the financial challenge. “You can’t form a strong squad without money,” said Swapan, who played for Abahani and Bangladesh in the 1990s and is the younger brother of former footballer Samrat Hossain Emily.

Ex-Abahani players have reportedly split into groups over the managerial issue, with Swapan unofficially tasked with bringing them together.

Meanwhile, Bashundhara Kings are still trying to resolve their remaining 10 of 14 cases and become eligible for professional football. They are discussing reimbursement agreements with players and coaching staff who lodged complaints with FIFA.

“We expect to solve the problems by next Friday and start the pre-season camp the same day. We have already confirmed more than 20 players,” said a Kings official seeking anonymity.

Fakirerpool Young Men’s Club general secretary Ahmed Ali said his club is also close to signing reimbursement agreements with three foreign players to clear Tk 52 lakh in dues through instalments within a couple of days.

SKY BLUES’ STATUS QUO

• With FIFA ban finally lifted, Abahani are cleared to obtain their league licence and register players.
• Preferred young targets have already signed elsewhere, leaving them reliant on last season's players.
• The club must clear the remaining overdue payments of USD 180,000 by December in monthly instalments.
• Maruful Haque is set to coach for a third successive season.
• Shahid Hossain Swapan is set to replace Satyajit Das Rupu as manager.