Before a ball was kicked in their final league match of the season, Mohammedan Sporting Club’s players walked onto the pitch at the Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta Stadium in Cumilla carrying a banner that read “Justice for Ramisa,” a tribute to eight-year-old Ramisa Akter, who was raped and brutally murdered last Tuesday. The gesture moved many who witnessed it and cut through the noise of the final day’s football results in a way that no scoreline could.
The rape and killing of Ramisa has shaken Bangladesh. Outrage has spread across the country, with widespread demands for justice, punishment for the perpetrator and stronger protections for women and children. Mohammedan’s players chose to make their voice heard in the most public way available to them, carrying their solidarity onto the pitch before a watching crowd and television audience.
On the field, Sourav Dewan delivered a hat-trick as Mohammedan thrashed Brothers Union 5-0, with Shafiul Hossain and Mozaffar Mozaffarov adding the other two goals. It was a dominant performance that brought a satisfying end to a season that had long since drifted away from any title ambitions. Mohammedan finished fifth in the final standings with 23 points from 18 matches, a significant fall from their title-winning campaign the previous season.
