Muktijoddha battling for survival

Falling football power Muktijoddha Sangsad were once in acute financial crisis to form a squad during the second edition of the professional football league in 2008 after the then caretaker government froze their bank account. But devoted footballers like Firoz Mahmud Titu, Rokonuzzaman Kanchan, Saifur Rahman Moni decided to sign for the freedom fighters' side without taking any signing money, bailing out the club that time.

In that journey, Muktioddha Sangsad, who won the Dhaka Premier League in 1998 and 2000 before winning the national league once, just about avoided relegation, thanks to the sacrifice of those players who also motivated junior players by arranging money from sponsors.

More than a decade later, the club is still mired in financial crisis and yet again struggling to form a squad for the upcoming professional league, with the transfer window set to close on December 15 and season set to start on December 22 through the Federation Cup.

During this long period of struggle for survival, no system has developed inside the club and there is virtually no management to look after the football team, which once drew a lot of attention as the third force in country's football behind Abahani and Mohammedan. Each season the club struggles to collect fund to form squad and the crisis deepened after its club tent in Gulistan was shut down by law enforcement agencies last year on allegation of running illegal casinos.

Hearing the poor condition of the club, its former striker Kanchan regretfully said, "We once played for Muktijoddha without payment to save the club and paved the way for the next generation of footballers. The club still owes me Tk 30 lakh. It is really painful that Muktijoddha Sangsad can't stand properly because of some people who are not honest."

"As all the clubs are supposed to sign their old squads this season, we had started training with our players but the camp stopped after the management told us that they can't form squad due to financial crisis," the club's manager Ariful Islam told The Daily Star. "However, training has resumed two days ago as we hope management would take some initiative."

According to Ariful, Muktijoddha Sangsad need nearly Tk 1.80 crore for the payment of players including four foreign recruits as well as for running the camp for the duration of the season. He also added that the players will get 50 percent of last season's contract money which is worth Tk 1.20 crore.

However, Bangladesh Football Federation and its senior vice-president Abdus Salam Murshedy are trying to convince top management of the club after a group of footballers appealed to save the club. 

"We have already talked to the management of the club, who informed us that they have financial problems" Murshedy said. "However, we are hopeful that Muktijoddha Sangsad will play in the Federation Cup in the month of victory because the name of Muktijoddha is involved with our emotion, liberation and many other things."

Murshedy said that they are also trying to convince high-ups of the government to allocate some fund for Muktijoddha Sangsad.