BPL outlook clouded by stalled fixing probe

The new season starts in under three weeks with the one-off Challenge Cup in mid-September, but the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) is yet to finish its probe into allegations of betting, spot-fixing and match manipulation against three top-tier clubs.

Fakirerpool Young Men's Club, Dhaka Wanderers Club and Chittagong Abahani were flagged by FIFA's Fraud Detection System in January for suspicious activity during last season's Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). While Wanderers and Abahani were relegated to the Championship League, Fakirerpool remain in the top flight, despite the allegations being unresolved.

The BFF had previously demoted clubs such as Arambagh, Uttar Baridhara and Karwan Bazar Pragati Sangha for similar offences. The question now is whether it will act decisively against Fakirerpool -- whose management has changed since the political transition in August last year -- even if that reduces the number of BPL outfits this season.

It has been an open secret within the football fraternity that a couple of clubs had been involved in gambling and match fixing last season, allegedly profiting in crores of taka. Yet the BFF only moved after FIFA's intervention, as it did in the past.

"We have already circulated the draft reports among committee members and are waiting for directives from the BFF. We will review them again before submission," said Humayun Khalid, who has been the chairman of the Fixed Match Detection Committee for more than a decade.

"We interviewed players and officials from at least eight matches, but this time there were no clear media reports to guide us. Still, based on monitoring and intelligence, we are certain malpractice occurred," he added.

The detection committee submits only its recommendations, while sanctions are imposed by the BFF's disciplinary committee. However, the latter has yet to deliver a verdict on Azampur FC Uttara, accused of malpractice during the 2022–23 season, even though the investigation concluded more than a year ago.