Tuesday, March 19, 2024

No clear favourites

Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup begins today
The Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup tournament is all set to get underway today at the MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong with no clear favourites emerging from among the eight teams in the tournament.
Although the second edition has lost a bit of shine in the absence of Indian clubs, the inclusion of two teams from Kyrgyzstan, South Korea and Maldives has strengthened the title race among the eight teams from six nations.
The team from Afghanistan is also comparable to other teams but the main focus will be on defending champions Chittagong Abahani, Bangladesh Premier League champions Abahani and FC Alga of Kyrgyzstan as Pocheon Citizen FC, a third-tier league South Korean team, has come with a young squad similar to Maldives Premier League runners-up TC Sports Club, who have brought 12 teenagers along with three national players and three foreign players.
Five-time Kyrgyz Premier League champions FC Alga — who held Sheikh Jamal to a 1-1 draw in their AFC Cup Play-off Qualifiers in 2015 and finished behind the Dhanmondi-based club by virtue of goal difference — are tipped as one of the favourites, while Dhaka Abahani and Chittagong Abahani are considered two of the others.
“I think the tournament is going to be a tough one because the participating teams are expected to be strong and we can only speak about who are favourites after a few games are played,” FC Alga’s head of delegation Emil Busurmankulov said after practice at the Shaheed Eng Shamsuzzaman Stadium in Bondor.
Emil also informed that it would be FC Alga’s third international tournament after their participation in the AFC Cup Play-off Qualifiers twice in 2015 and 2016 and that their squad has five national players but no foreign players.
As in previous editions, Dhaka Abahani are thought to be one of the title contenders following their domestic success and with a squad that has been together for nearly two years being bolstered by the inclusion of Sheikh Jamal striker Emeka Darlington and defender Yeasin Khan and Muktijoddha Sangsad midfielder Simon Ezeodika, their hopes of making the final have been brightened, although their experience in the last edition was not good.
“I am optimistic about the quality of the players we have and I would like to win the title here because we are the league champions and we have a lot of national players,” said Dhaka Abahani coach Drago Mamic before the start of training at the MA Aziz Stadium.
“The teams who have come here from other countries are surely good teams. I have checked and there are no easy team,” added the Croatian who believes a good start against TC Sport Club today is very important for them.
Hosts Chittagong Abahani had not been favourites in the inaugural edition as their team mostly comprised of hired players, but they surprised all and sundry to win the title. However, despite forming a strong squad which won the Independence Cup and became runners-up in the Premier Football League, the Sky Blues seemingly lack the confidence to repeat the feat with key senior players Mamunul Islam and Zahid Hossain not in great shape and the local players having to play with a new set of foreign players this time.
“I can’t provide the exact information about Chittagong Abahani until one game is played. As defending champions we are also favourites but FC Alga and Dhaka Abahani are also favourites on paper,” said Chittagong Abahani coach Saiful Bari Titu over the phone.

-With The Daily Star input

Related News

Bangladesh women thrash Singapore 8-0 in friendly

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh national women’s football team clinched their two-match FIFA international series against Singapore in style when they crushed the visitors 8-0 in their second and final match at the Birshreshtha Shaheed Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur on Monday. Tahura Khatun, Ritu Porna Chakma both scored a brace while Sanjida Akter, Sabina ... Read more

Ronaldinho makes short stopover in Dhaka

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com The legendary Brazilian Ronaldinho Gaucho spent a busy twelve hours in Dhaka yesterday en route to Dubai. He had arrived in Kolkata two days earlier, where he had attended several events. Brazilian footballer who won the World Cup arrived in Dhaka around 3:45 p.m. and left the Bangladeshi capital in the ... Read more

Eden Hazard announces retirement from football

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com At the age of just 32, Eden Hazard has announced his retirement from football. The former Chelsea and Real Madrid forward, known for his exceptional dribbling skills and goal-scoring prowess, has called time on a career that spanned over 16 years and more than 700 matches. “You must listen to yourself ... Read more

Brazil football great Ronaldinho to visit Dhaka on 18 October

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Brazilian World Cup winner soccer legend Ronaldinho will visit Dhaka on 18 October. This star footballer is visiting Kolkata and Dhaka on the invitation of Indian sports entrepreneur Shatdru Dutta Initiative. Creation World and Off Track Events and Advertising are implementing the entire event in Bangladesh. This Brazilian superstar will return ... Read more

BSPA hands out Kaysar Sinha awards

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangladesh Sports Press Association honoured three organisers by handing over the Kaysar Sinha awards in a function held at the Bangabandhu Military Museum auditorium in the city on Friday. Abahani Limited founding general secretary Harunur Rashid was awarded as the best organiser, while former Bangladesh Cricket Board president Kamal Zialu ... Read more

George Kottan, football friend of Bangladesh passes away

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangladesh football team’s SAFF Championship-winning coach, George Kottan, passed away on Monday in Budapest. He was 76. Due to his old age and physical difficulties, the experienced coach had been hidden from the public for some time. On Thursday, former national team goalie Biplob Bhattacharjee posted on Facebook that he ... Read more

Friendly football match between Bangladesh Army, Australian Defence Force

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com A friendly football match between the Bangladesh Army and the Australian Defence Force was held at the Bangladesh Army Stadium in the capital’s Banani area on Tuesday. Chief of General Staff of Bangladesh Army Lt Gen Ataul Hakim Sarwar Hasan attended the ceremony as the chief guest and distributed prizes among ... Read more

German soccer player Robert Bauer embraces Islam

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com German soccer player Robert Bauer announced on Instagram that he has converted to Islam. He thanked his wife and her family for their support on his journey. The 28-year-old athlete, who curre ntly plays for Saudi club Al-Tai in the Saudi Professional League, shared the news with his followers, shedding light ... Read more

Spain wins the Women’s World Cup by defeating England

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Spain are world champions, having won the Women’s World Cup 1-0 against England in Sydney, Australia. Thirteen years on from the men’s victory in South Africa, an Olga Carmona strike proved enough to win the match against the European champions in front of 75,784 spectators. Her goal came in the 29th ... Read more

Mattra to acquire broadcast, marketing rights for FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 in Bangladesh from 1Stadia

Business Desk : dhakamirror.com Mattra, a leading media company, has declared its position as the official media rights holder for the highly anticipated 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Bangladesh. This association comes on the back of a strategic agreement with 1Stadia, a prominent US-based company specialising in technological advancements in the world of sports ... Read more

Messi signs with US club Inter Miami

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Seven-time Ballon d’Or Lionel Messi signed Saturday with Inter Miami CF of Major League Soccer (MLS), initiating the next stage in a career that has seen him lift 43 trophies, including the World Cup. The 36-year-old will stay with the Miami club through 2025, the statement added. “I’m very excited to ... Read more

Footballer Benjamin Mendy in tears as jury clears him on sex offences

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com France footballer Benjamin Mendy broke down in tears on Friday, as a jury cleared him of sex offences. Mendy, 28, put his head on his knees and wiped away tears on hearing the verdict at the end of the three-week trial at Chester Crown Court in northwest England. He had previously ... Read more

Ronaldo overtakes Messi and sets another Guinness World Record

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Cristiano Ronaldo has overtaken Lionel Messi to set a new world record for highest annual earnings by an athlete, securing his 17th Guinness World Records title. The 38-year-old is estimated to have earned a whopping £107.5 million in the 12 months ended May 1, 2023, topping Forbes’ list of the world’s ... Read more

Huge moment for fans as Messi lands in Florida to join up with Inter Miami

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Fans had begun to gather at the club’s DRV PNK stadium early in the morning ahead of his expected arrival. Lionel Messi said he is ready for the new challenge of restarting Inter Miami’s fortunes when the Argentine superstar landed in Florida on Tuesday before putting the finishing touches on his ... Read more

Mbappé visits father’s homeland

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com French football star Kylian Mbappé told reporters in Yaoundé he was “honoured” to visit his father’s native Cameroon. The PSG striker is on a humanitarian visit to the country for his foundation. Mbappé, the star forward of Paris Saint-Germain and captain of the French national team, arrived in the Cameroonian capital ... Read more

FIFA compensate Bangladesh defender Saad

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com The world football governing body FIFA compensated Tk 4,65, 000 to Bangladesh national football team defender Saad Uddin for the injury that he suffered during the national team’s training session in May 2022 in Dhaka before the AFC Asian Cup 2023 Qualifiers, said a Bangladesh Football Federation media release on Thursday. ... Read more

Ruben Neves close to €55m Saudi Arabia move

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Wolves captain Rúben Neves is close to a €55 million move to Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal. The Portuguese had been linked with a switch to Barcelona but the La Liga champions have not been able to get a deal over the line. Several UK media outlets are reporting that ... Read more

Messi ‘detained’ at Beijing airport

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Argentine superstar Lionel Messi Lionel Messi never fails to hit the headlines as the player recently announced that he will be joining David Beckham’s side Inter Miami in the MLS. According to the reports, Lionel Messi was supposed to be signed by FC Barcelona who tried their level best to bring ... Read more

Swedish players forced to show their genitals at the 2011 Women’s World Cup

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Players of the Swedish women’s soccer team had to show their genitals to prove they were women before the start of the 2011 World Cup, the team’s centre-back Nilla Fischer has revealed. The 38-year-old soccer player, Nella Fischer, who described the experience as “humiliating” was exposed. Fischer, who played 194 times ... Read more

Man City clinches the historic treble after Rodri’s goal and defeats Inter Milan 1-0 to win the Champions League

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Rodri was the unlikely hero as Manchester City beat Inter Milan 1-0 to win the Champions League for the very first time and clinch a historic treble. Boosted by the firepower of multiple talented players, Spaniard Rodri scored the only goal of the match in the 67th minute to clinch the ... Read more