The Bangladesh Football Federation has decided to postpone the beginning of the inter-club local players’ transfer window, which was scheduled to open today, until Wednesday.
The BFF said that they postponed the transfer window because the executive committee has yet to approve league by-laws, but a source confirmed that some top clubs, including Mohammedan Sporting Club Limited and Abahani Limited, demanded that the window only be opened after a number of player-club disputes are settled.
Before the end of last season, many clubs reportedly reached agreements with players and were just left to complete contract-signing formalities.
There have, however, been several disputes between some top players and clubs over those pre-contract agreements.
Zahid Hossain, Mamun Miah and Nahidul Islam, who all played for Sheikh Russell KC last season, admitted to having taken payments to play for Mohammedan next season, but later decided to re-sign with Sheikh Russell after claiming that Mohammedan had failed to make further payments.
Shakil Ahmed, formerly of Sheikh Jamal DC, had also received a payment from Mohammedan before deciding to join Sheikh Russell under similar circumstances.
Lokman Hossain Bhuiyan, member secretary of Mohammedan, insisted that the four players had received money from them and had signed with them using the registration forms issued by the BFF, but the players dispute Mohammedan’s claims and blamed club officials for not paying them in due time.
‘I received Tk 10 lakh from Mohammedan and signed a money receipt, but later they failed to provide me with the rest of the promised money, so we took the other option,’ Zahid said.
Sheikh Russell president Nurul Alam Chowdhury also denied Mohammedan’s claims and is looking to the BFF’s Player Status Committee to settle the crisis between the respective clubs and players.
Mithun Chowdhury had also decided to switch clubs this season and had received token money from Abahani, but he too later changed his mind and decided to stay with his old club, Sheikh Russell.
Abahani manager Satyajit Das Rupu also claimed that Mithun Chowdhury had received payment and had signed a registration form.
‘As far as we know, Mithun will play for us next season. If there is any dispute then he must take initiative to settle it,’ said Rupu.
The professional league committee will sit for a meeting on Wednesday, after which the date of the transfer window might once again be deferred.
-With New Age input
