Bangladesh Police Football Club
বাংলাদেশ পুলিশ ফুটবল ক্লাব
Full nameBangladesh Police Football Club
Nickname(s)The Policemen
Short nameBPFC
GroundRafiq Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium
Capacity25,000
PresidentBangladesh Abdullah-Al- Mamun
Head CoachRomania Aristică Cioabă
LeagueBangladesh Premier League
2022–23BPL, 3rd of 11
WebsiteClub website
Current season

Bangladesh Police Football Club (also known as Bangladesh Police Athletic Club) is an association football team based in Dhaka, Bangladesh.[1] The club was founded by Bangladesh Police and formerly East Pakistan Police. The services team had previously played in the First Division Football League in 1998 – then the second tier of football. In recent times, Police FC became champions of the Second Division Football League in 2014[2] and were directly promoted to the Bangladesh Championship League in 2015.[3] The club gained promotion to Bangladesh Premier League for the very first time in the club's history by becoming champions of the 2018-19 Bangladesh Championship League.

History

Early years

During the East Pakistani period, Police Athletic Club first entered the top division, the Dhaka League, in 1952. The club comprised players who were employed as constables in the police force. Although it is not certain when the club was established, it is assumed that it entered the Dhaka Second Division Football League following the partition of India.

Police AC, along with Fire Service SC, were two services clubs actively participating in the Dhaka League throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Post the Independence of Bangladesh, Police found themselves among the fifteen clubs that recommenced participation when the league resumed in 1972. Nevertheless, due to the league remaining unfinished, the club concluded their inaugural season in the newly independent country by securing 12th position in 1973. The following decade saw the Policemen consistently battle against relegation before finally admitting defeat in 1982, which marked the end of the club's 30 years in the top-flight.

The club made a comeback to the Dhaka League after securing the runners-up position in the second division during the 1989–90 season. However, their stay in the top-flight was curtailed after experiencing another relegation in the 1992 season. In 1993, following the inception of the Premier Division, Police's triumph in the second division during the 1994–95 season meant that the club would now participate in the Dhaka First Division Football League, serving as a second-tier to the Premier Division. The club spent two years in the First Division before facing relegation once again in 1998.[4]

Return to the top-flight

Since 1999, Police spent 15 years in the Dhaka Second Division Football League before a new generation, inspired by Amirul Islam, was crowned league champions in the 2013–14 season.[5][6] The club was directly promoted to the Bangladesh Championship League after meeting the criteria required to enter the professional football league, and the club officially registered to participate in the league on 14 October 2015.[7] During this time, Police also participated in the 2011–12 and 2013 editions of the Federation Cup without finding much success. The club started going by Bangladesh Police AC following their promotion to the professional league.[8]

The club entered the Championship League from the 2014–15 season and concluded their inaugural season in the second-tier professional league in 4th place. Police finished mid-table in the subsequent two seasons and barely contended for promotion. On May 12, 2019, following a 1–0 victory over Wari Club, Police secured promotion to the Bangladesh Premier League with three games still remaining in the 2018–19 Bangladesh Championship League.[9][10] On May 26, 2019, Police were officially announced as champions after defeating Feni Soccer Club 5–1 in the season finale.[11][12] The club's lethal striker, Amirul Islam, scored his second hat-trick of the season during the match and finished as the league's top scorer with 18 goals.[13][14]

Bangladesh Premier League era

Police began its 2019–20 season with the 2019 Federation Cup, where they crashed out after being defeated 3–0 by Bashundhara Kings in the semi-finals.[15] Thus, the Federation Cup campaign of Police FC ended.[16] The club, which throughout its history has mainly consisted of employed police constables, signed four foreign players, including Puerto Rico national team striker Sidney Rivera.[17] On 16 February 2020, Police began their 2019–20 Bangladesh Premier League campaign with a 0–2 defeat to Abahani Limited Dhaka.[18] In its following games four days later, Police salvaged a point with a 1–1 draw with Bashundhara Kings, thanks to an own goal from Kings defender Nurul Naium Faisal. On 24 February 2020, Police secured their first ever victory in the Premier League, defeating Uttar Baridhara 2–1.[19] The club's goals came from Sidney Rivera and Antonio Laskov. Nevertheless, their first season in the Premier League only lasted for five matches, as domestic football was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh.

Before the 2020–21 Bangladesh Premier League began, Police replaced their first ever foreign head coach Nicolas Vitorović with Sri Lankan coach Pakir Ali.[20] Police finished 8th in their first full season in the Premier League. In October 2021, Police appointed Romanian coach Aristică Cioabă as their third foreign head coach. In their first season under Cioabă, Police finished 8th in the league. After the season, the club's legendary striker Amirul Islam retired.[21] Police began its 2022–23 season with the 2022 Independence Cup and finished fourth place after suffering a 4–1 defeat in the third place match against Abahani Limited Dhaka. The club finished the 2022–23 Bangladesh Premier League in third place, their highest ever in the top-flight.[22][23] Police were also the only club to defeat eventual champions Bashundhara Kings during the league season.[24][25]

Shirt sponsors

Period Shirt sponsor
2015–16 Popular Life Insurance Limited[26][27][28]
2017–18 Runner Group[29]
2018–19 Nirman
2019–present Nasir Group

Current squad

Bangladesh Police FC squad for 2023–24 season.

As of 23 October 2023

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Bangladesh BAN Russel Mahmud Liton
2 DF Kyrgyzstan KGZ Mustafa Yusupov
3 FW Bangladesh BAN Arifur Rahman Raju
4 DF Bangladesh BAN Mohammad Emon
5 DF Bangladesh BAN Rabiul Islam
6 MF Bangladesh BAN Monaem Khan Raju (vice-captain)
7 FW Bangladesh BAN M S Bablu
8 MF Bangladesh BAN Md Mithu
9 FW Bangladesh BAN Zillur Rahman
10 FW Bangladesh BAN Jabed Khan
11 FW Bangladesh BAN Sahed Miah
12 MF Colombia COL Mateo Palacios
14 FW Bangladesh BAN Faisal Ahmed
15 FW Bangladesh BAN Abu Sufian Sifat
16 MF Bangladesh BAN Noman Ahmed Rubel
17 DF Bangladesh BAN Isa Faysal (captain)
18 FW Colombia COL Edis Ibargüen García
19 FW Venezuela VEN Edward Morillo
No. Pos. Nation Player
20 FW Bangladesh BAN Miraz Molla
22 MF Kyrgyzstan KGZ Manas Karipov
23 MF Bangladesh BAN Syed Shah Quazem Kirmane
24 GK Bangladesh BAN Md Faysal Mia
25 DF Bangladesh BAN Ismail Hossain
28 FW Bangladesh BAN Md Al Amin
31 GK Bangladesh BAN Dinaj Hosen Jubed
33 DF Bangladesh BAN Akibur Rahman
35 MF Bangladesh BAN Razuan Kabir
36 GK Bangladesh BAN Ahsan Habib Bipu
37 DF Bangladesh BAN Esanur Rahman
38 DF Bangladesh BAN Rasel Hossain
75 FW Bangladesh BAN Din Islam
76 FW Bangladesh BAN Md Robel
77 DF Bangladesh BAN Joyonto Kumer Roy
88 MF Bangladesh BAN Fahim Morshed
99 FW Bangladesh BAN Amir Ali

Current technical staff

Coaching staff

As of November 2023
Position Name
Head coach Romania Aristică Cioabă
Assistant coach Bangladesh Jahan E Alam Nury
Goalkeeping coach Bangladesh Essam Saber Atris
Fitness coach Bangladesh Ashraful Islam
Manager Bangladesh Abu Taher
Event Manager Bangladesh Mahbub Ahmad Chowdhury

Board of directors

As of November 2023
Position Name
President Bangladesh Abdullah-Al- Mamun
General secretary Bangladesh Sheikh Md Rezaul Hyder
Director general Bangladesh M Khurshid Hossain

Team records

Head coach's record

As of 24 February 2024
Head Coach Nat. From To P W D L GS GA %W
S. M. Asifuzzaman Bangladesh February 2019 May 2019 20 11 6 3 31 13 055.00
Nicolas Vitorović Cyprus 4 August 2019[30] 31 August 2020 9 3 2 4 10 16 033.33
Pakir Ali Sri Lanka October 2020 August 2021 26 6 8 12 28 42 023.08
Aristică Cioabă Romania October 2021[31] Present 68 27 18 23 105 93 039.71

P – Total of played matches W – Won matches D – Drawn matches L – Lost matches GS – Goal scored GA – Goals against
%W – Percentage of matches won

Season by season record

Record as Professional Football League member
Season Division League Federation Cup Independence Cup Asian club competition Top league scorer(s)
P W D L GF GA Pts Position Player Goals
2014/15 BCL 14 3 8 3 13 11 17 4th — — — Bangladesh Amirul Islam 4
2015/16 BCL 14 4 6 4 11 9 18 4th — — Bangladesh Amirul Islam
Bangladesh Komol Barua 		4
2017 BCL 18 5 7 6 12 12 22 7th — —
2018/19 BCL 20 11 6 3 31 13 39 Champions — — Bangladesh Amirul Islam 18
2019/20 BPL Abandoned Quarter-finals — Bangladesh MS Bablu
Bulgaria Antonio Laskov
Puerto Rico Sidney Rivera 		1
2020/21 BPL 24 6 7 11 26 39 25 9th Group-stage — Ivory Coast Christian Kouakou 7
2021/22 BPL 22 8 6 8 28 32 30 8th Group-stage Semi-finals Afghanistan Amredin Sharifi 9
2022/23 BPL 20 10 5 5 39 21 35 3rd Group-stage 3rd Venezuela Edward Morillo 9

AFC club ranking

As of 11 June 2023[32]
Ranking Team Points
454 United Arab Emirates Al Urooba Club 30.24
455 Malaysia Negeri Sembilan FC 30.18
456 Bangladesh Bangladesh Police FC 30.18
457 Nepal Machhindra FC 30.10
458 Lebanon Chabab Ghazieh SC 29.75

World club ranking

As of 11 June 2023[33]
Ranking Team Points
2547 The Gambia Elite United FC 30.20
2548 Malaysia Negeri Sembilan FC 30.18
2549 Bangladesh Bangladesh Police FC 30.18
2550 French Guiana ASC Agouado FC 30.15
2551 Nepal Machhindra F.C. 30.10

Honours

League

Controversy

On May 24, 2019, Police constable Mohammad Shamim assaulted BFF's competition manager Zaber Bin Ansari after being denied entry into the ground during a match against Feni Soccer Club. The Police, having already secured the 2018–19 Bangladesh Championship League title before the game, would eventually be presented with the trophy after the match's conclusion.[34]

Subsequently, four more players—Amirul Islam, Tarek Aziz, Azmi Omar, and Sarwar Hossain—joined Shamim in the assault right after the completion of the prize-giving ceremony at the Bangabandhu National Stadium. In response to their involvement, all four police players were fined Tk 1 lakh each. Amirul and Aziz received two-match suspensions, while Omar and Sarwar were handed nine-match bans each. The team's physiotherapist, Santanu Mallik, also received a nine-match ban and a Tk 2 lakh fine.[35]

As for Constable Shamim, he was handed a lifetime stadium ban across the country as part of the disciplinary actions.[36]

Notable players

Asia

References

  1. ^ "Bangladesh Police FC". Soccerway.
  2. ^ প্রথম বিভাগে উত্তীর্ণ হলো পুলিশ অ্যাথলেটিক্স. Risingbd.com (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  3. ^ "Police take Championship League crown". The Daily Star. 21 May 2019. Archived from the original on 27 May 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Bangladesh Second Level 1997/98". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023.
  5. ^ "প্রিমিয়ারের স্বপ্নপূরণ পুলিশ ফুটবল ক্লাবের" (in Bengali). 12 May 2019. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023.
  6. ^ "শিরোপা জিততে চায় পুলিশ বাংলাদেশ চ্যাম্পিয়নশিপ ফুটবল লীগ". Daily Janakantha (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 24 November 2023.
  7. ^ পেশাদার ফুটবল লীগে পুলিশ. Jugantor (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  8. ^ "Bangladesh Championship League kicks off today". www.observerbd.com. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  9. ^ "Police FC promoted to BPL". Dhaka Tribune. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  10. ^ প্রিমিয়ার লিগ ফুটবলে জায়গা করে নিল পুলিশ ফুটবল ক্লাব, Jamuna TV (in Bengali), 15 May 2019, archived from the original on 24 September 2022, retrieved 1 June 2019
  11. ^ আবারও ফুটবলের সর্বোচ্চ পর্যায়ে পুলিশ. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  12. ^ "BCL Football league final: Police FC beat Feni Soccer Club by 5-1 goals". The Independent. Dhaka. Archived from the original on 27 May 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
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  20. ^ যে কারনে বাংলা শিখেছিলেন পাকির আলী. Daily Naya Diganta (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 29 April 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
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  26. ^ "Popular Life Insurance sponsors Bangladesh Police Football Team". Daily Sun. Archived from the original on 27 May 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  27. ^ পুলিশ ফুটবল দল স্পন্সর পেল. Jugantor (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
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  29. ^ বাংলাদেশ পুলিশ ফুটবল ক্লাবের স্পন্সর রানার গ্রুপ. dmpnews.org (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  30. ^ সাইপ্রাসের ফুটবল কোচ নিয়োগ দিয়েছে পুলিশ. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 4 August 2019. Archived from the original on 5 August 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  31. ^ "পুলিশ এফসি'তে রোমানিয়ান কোচ!". www.offsidebangladesh.com (in Bengali). 17 October 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  32. ^ "AFC club rankings". footballalphabet.com. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  33. ^ "World club rankings". footballalphabet.com. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  34. ^ Independent Television (24 May 2019), মাঠে ঢোকা নিয়ে পুলিশ-বাফুফে কর্মকর্তাদের মারপিট, আহত ৫ ।। BFF-Police (in Bengali), archived from the original on 24 September 2022, retrieved 1 June 2019
  35. ^ "BFF fines Police; bans four players". The Daily Star. 28 May 2019. Archived from the original on 27 May 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
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  37. ^ "চলে গেলেন ফুটবলার জহিরুল হক". Prothomalo (in Bengali). 6 January 2024. Archived from the original on 7 January 2024.

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