Dinajpur, Sirajganj battle for maiden title

The National Football Championship reaches its climax as Dinajpur district and Sirajganj district clash in the grand final at Shaheed Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Dhaka today.

The high-stakes encounter caps a long home-and-away tournament that saw 64 districts battle across 112 matches, involving nearly 1,500 players over three-and-a-half months.

Despite ongoing financial hurdles in developing district-level football, the Bangladesh Football Federation secured Tk 10 crore in funding from the Youth and Sports Ministry and the National Sports Council, enabling the smooth organisation of this year's championship.

Excitement is at fever pitch in Dinajpur and Sirajganj, with supporters from both districts travelling to Dhaka in hired buses to cheer their teams. Both sides are eyeing their first-ever title in the tournament, which has been held 25 times previously under the banner of the Sher-e-Bangla National Football Championship.

"Initially, assembling the squad and arranging proper training was a challenge, but reaching the final for the first time is a huge achievement," said Dinajpur coach Shamim Ahmed at a pre-match press conference at the BFF House yesterday.

"We are confident of lifting the trophy with our youthful side, which features seven to eight players from the Dhaka Senior Division Football League."

Sirajganj coach Mahbubul Alam added: "This is our first national championship final, and we want to make it memorable. While we do not have current Dhaka Senior Division players, six to seven of our squad have previous experience playing in Dhaka."

AFC president Salman Bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa was due to attend and distribute prizes, but his four-day tour was cancelled due to personal reasons. Youth and Sports adviser Asif Mahmud will now grace the occasion as chief guest.