Bangladesh’s leading football clubs are facing a wave of FIFA sanctions, with Abahani Limited Dhaka, Mohammedan Sporting Club, and Bashundhara Kings all receiving transfer bans within just over a week.
Bashundhara Kings, five-time Bangladesh Premier League champions, have become the latest club to be added to the list. Despite their previous reputation for paying players and coaching staff generously, including bonuses beyond contractual amounts, the club has reportedly been struggling financially during the 2024–25 football season.
The bans stem from the clubs’ failure to fulfil financial obligations to foreign players and coaches who subsequently lodged complaints with FIFA. Bashundhara Kings first came under sanction on 27 August following a case filed by their former Romanian coach Valeriu Tiță. Between 23 and 29 October, four additional bans were imposed on the club. Mohammedan received a ban on 29 October, followed by Abahani on 3 November. The Kings were hit again with another sanction yesterday.
Although the current transfer window has closed, meaning the bans will not affect their ongoing Bangladesh Premier League campaigns, all three clubs must resolve the disputes before the mid-season transfer window if they wish to register new players.
According to FIFA regulations, the bans will only be lifted once the clubs pay the outstanding dues or if the complainants voluntarily withdraw their cases.
