Daniel Colindres works out at his room in Dhaka amid the countrywide lockdown
It’s becoming a burden for the clubs like us to bear the expenses of footballers in a lockdown situation because we have no income and no financial stability
Bearing the expenditures of the foreign footballers with no game to play for indefinite time has become a burden for Bangladesh Premier League clubs especially for those low-budget outings who are struggling financially due to COVID-19 pandemic.
FIFA recommended the clubs around the world to reach mutual agreements with the players but that can hardly solve the financial hurdles most BPL clubs along with their footballers are going to face due to the economic condition of the clubs.
Around 60 foreign footballers of 13 BPL outfits are currently quarantined in their respective apartments or club tenants in Dhaka which became a burden for the clubs whose finances are based on donation. They also fear losing players when football returns.
“It’s becoming a burden for the clubs like us to bear the expenses of footballers in a lockdown situation because we have no income and no financial stability.” Amir Khan, the manager of Brothers Union, told Dhaka Tribune on Monday.
Amer informed that the five foreign players of Brothers were signed for five-month contracts which have already ended, so they don’t have to worry about the monthly wages now but they can’t send their players back home due to travel restrictions. The situation is no different for Uttar Baridhara Club as well.
However, Arambagh Krira Sangha is in most dire condition as the club contracted foreigners for eight months and currently it is trying to reach mutual agreements with them regarding pay-cuts. The player's tent and office room of the Motijheel-based club has been closed since the casino crackdown in the capital in September last year. The club had managed to form the squad and bore the monthly expenditures of the club from donations.
“The financial condition is very bad. We are hardly surviving from the donation of Bashundhara Group. The league is unlikely to be held this year. We fear to lose the foreign footballers because there is no guarantee that they will return.” said Yakub Ali, the general secretary of Arambagh.
Ariful Islam, the manager of Muktijoddha SKC, echoed with someone. He said, “It will not be possible to get the foreign players back when the BPL resumes. The future is uncertain. We need to make a timely decision together to save the clubs.”
There is no revenue, no title sponsorships, and TV rights and scarcely any income from ticket sells which can give a glimpse of ideas regarding the economic condition of most of the clubs.
Even the highest-budget Bashundhara Kings are also facing similar difficulties in a different way because of their top-paid foreign recruits.
“It’s all becoming a burden for us as well,” said Imrul Hasan, the president of the BPL champions. He added, “The situation is worse for most clubs because of no income. It will be difficult to hold league this year and if so the problem will get bigger, even for us.”
The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) asked feedbacks from each club regarding the Fifa guidelines to deal with the contracts of the players which is not the main problem for most of the clubs but to feed and accommodate them.
“I talked to each club for their opinions which are same more or less,” said BFF's competition manager Jaber Bin Taher Ansari admitting, “The financial conditions of the clubs are very poor. Maximum clubs have relied on donations from others. The donation is also stopped now due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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