Mohammedan roll back the years, assemble star-studded squad

Mohammedan rolled back the years on Thursday, reviving the charm of player transfers from a bygone era with a colourful sign-on day at the club premises.

The compound came alive to the beat of traditional drums, and the blare of trumpets as supporters gathered to celebrate the arrival of the club’s new signings.

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Energetic chants of “Mohammedan! Mohammedan!” followed the horse carriages carrying the newly signed players, adding another splash of colour to the occasion.

Former and current footballers, along with club organisers, turned the iconic black-and-white compound into a heartwarming reunion before the players and officials travelled by flower-decorated horse carriages to the BFF house to submit the documents of 33 players. The club had, however, already completed the registration formalities digitally.

The country’s football fraternity already knew the new Mohammedan board was intent on building a strong squad, particularly with Bashundhara Kings and Abahani struggling to lift FIFA-imposed registration bans. But the Black and Whites’ influx of new signings, especially from Kings, underlined the scale of their recruitment.

It is the first time since the 2009-10 season that Mohammedan have assembled such a national-player-heavy squad. Even their 2024-25 championship-winning side did not boast as many national team players.

The current squad includes national goalkeepers Anisur Rahman Zico and Sujan Hossain, Faisal Ahmed Fahim, Sohel Rana Jr, Saad Uddin, Shahriar Emon, Rahmat Mia, Shakil Ahad Topu, Zahid Hasan Shanto, Mojibur Rahman Jony and Rimon Hossain. The club have also retained several senior players from last season’s championship-winning squad.

Zico was Mohammedan’s final signing, completing the formalities at 1:30pm yesterday, and the national goalkeeper was delighted to join the club for the first time.

“I was supposed to play for Mohammedan SC long ago, but it did not happen. I now feel good for Mohammedan. If we, new signings and old players, can perform unitedly on the ground and get the backing of the supporters, then we believe we can deliver all trophies to Mohammedan SC.”

New signing Sohel Rana Jr stressed the importance of discipline and proper training if Mohammedan are to challenge for titles.

“The inclusion of eight players from Bashundhara Kings and retaining the former foreign players made Mohammedan SC a strong one which will fight for the championship,” Sohel said. “We know each other very well. But it is very important to have discipline and proper training if we want to become champions.”

Winger Faisal Ahmed Fahim believes their experience of winning the league and Federation Cup will help keep Mohammedan in contention, but said much will depend on the coach’s strategies.

Mohammedan director-in-charge Lokman Hossain Bhuiyan said the club are trying to bring in a foreign coach from either Uzbekistan or Denmark.