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Chittagong Abahani Limited
Association football club in Bangladesh
Association football club in Bangladesh
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| clubname | Chittagong Abahani Limited |
| image | Logo of Chittagong Abahani.svg |
| image_size | 180px |
| upright | 0.8 |
| fullname | Chittagong Abahani Limited |
| nickname | The Blue Pirates |
| (Bengali: ব্লু পাইরেটস) | |
| short name | CAL |
| founded | |
| ground | M. A. Aziz Stadium |
| capacity | 30,000 |
| owntitle | President |
| mgrtitle | Head coach |
| manager | Rakib Uddin |
| league | Bangladesh Championship League |
| season | 2025–26 |
| position | TBD |
| kit_alt1 | Home Kit |
| pattern_b1 | _boltonw |
| pattern_la1 | _yellowborder |
| pattern_ra1 | _yellowborder |
| pattern_sh1 | _yellowbottom |
| pattern_so1 | _yellowline |
| leftarm1 | 079BF1 |
| body1 | 079BF1 |
| rightarm1 | 079BF1 |
| shorts1 | 3EADEE |
| socks1 | AED6F1 |
| pattern_b2 | _boltonw |
| pattern_la2 | _goldborder |
| pattern_ra2 | _goldborder |
| pattern_sh2 | _goldbottom |
| pattern_so2 | _goldline |
| rightarm2 | 940CB3 |
| leftarm2 | 940CB3 |
| body2 | 940CB3 |
| shorts2 | 940CB3 |
| socks2 | F2F204 |
| current | 2023–24 Chittagong Abahani season |
(Bengali: ব্লু পাইরেটস)
| Departments of Chittagong Abahani | [[File:Football pictogram.svg | 30px]] | [[File:Football pictogram.svg | 30px]] | [[File:Cricket pictogram.svg | 30px]] | Football |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Men's) | Football | ||||||
| (Reserves & Youth) | Cricket | ||||||
| (Men's) |
Chittagong Abahani Limited (), also spelled as Chattogram Abahani or Chittagong Abahoni, is a sports club based in Chittagong, Bangladesh. A wing of Abahani Limited was established at Chittagong in 1980, known as Chittagong Abahani. It is one of the most successful football clubs in the country. It currently competes in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), the top tier of Bangladeshi football.
The team was relegated from the BPL in the 2010–11 season. It regained promotion to the BPL by becoming champion of the 2013 Bangladesh Championship League. The club host Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup, a bi-annual tournament in memory of their founder, Sheikh Kamal. They won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2015. The club won their first major domestic trophy in 2016 by winning the 2016 Independence Cup under the guidance of Slovak coach Jozef Pavlik. Chittagong Abahani had a fierce rivalry with Chittagong Mohammedan earlier in Chittagong Premier League and later in Bangladesh Premier League.
History
1980–2000: Beginning
In the late 1970s, Didarul Alam Chowdhury was inspired by the Dhaka-based club Abahani Limited Dhaka. He is a football organizer from Chittagong. Didarul wanted to establish a wing of Abahani in Chittagong for the betterment of Sports in Chittagong. He convened a meeting with other local organizers on 10 October 1980. With the meeting, Chittagong Abahani officially started its journey.
Iqbal Khan, popular footballer of Chittagong and father of national cricketers Tamim Iqbal & Nafees Iqbal, played a vital role in Chittagong Abahani's inception. He also played for Chittagong Abahani. Chittagong Abahani won their first-ever Chittagong League title under his captaincy.
2000–2014: Journey at top level
Chittagong Abahani qualified for the 2000-01 National Football League after being crowned the 1999 Chittagong League title. The team finished 3rd in the inaugural season under coach Abu Yusuf. In 2001-02 National Football League, Ctg Abahani finished in the Super Four once again. Chittagong Abahani also became runners-up twice in the Chittagong League during 2000s.
In 2007, Bangladesh Football Federation started B. League (now Bangladesh Premier League), country's first professional football league. Chittagong Abahani was one of the founding teams of the league. After struggling in the first three seasons, Ctg Abahani relegated to Bangladesh Championship League in 2010–11 season.
The port city outfit finished at the bottom in their first BCL season. However, there was no relegation system for second tier in that time which saved the team from demotion. The Blue Pirates made a strong comeback in next season becoming Champion of 2013-14 BCL & came back to top tier. Chittagong Abahani finished at 9th in 2014-15 BPL, their returning season to top tier.
2015–present: Beginning of the revolutionary era
In November 2014, Tarafder Ruhul Amin of Saif Powertec Limited became chairman of Chittagong Abahani Directorial Board. Saif Powertec Limited becomes new sponsor of Chittagong Abahani.
In 2015, Chittagong Abahani organised inaugural edition of Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup at M. A. Aziz Stadium, Chittagong before the 2015-16 domestic season. It was the first international club tournament at Chittagong since 1982. Chittagong Abahani won the tournament beating Kolkata giant East Bengal in final. The huge attendance of the final broke all the recent records. The port city outfit gave their arrival message as a rising giant with this tournament.
In May 2016, Chittagong Abahani won 2016 Independence Cup under their first ever foreign coach Jozef Pavlik. It was the first domestic major trophy of the club history. Chittagong Abahani finished at 2nd in 2016 BPL, their best result ever. They signed Bangladesh national team Captain Mamunul Islam, Bhutan international Chencho Gyeltshen, former Haiti international Fabrice Noel & Leonel Saint Preux for this season.
Chittagong Abahani also become runners-up of 2017 Independence Cup, 2017 Federation Cup & finished 3rd in 2017-18 BPL. However, the Blue Pirates performed down in 2018–19 season as they knocked out from both tournaments in quarterfinal & obtained 8th position in the league.
Maruful Haque era
Current squad
Personnel
Current technical staff
As of 5 April 2024
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Bangladesh Md. Tajuddin Taju |
| Assistant Coach | BAN Arafat Ali Rony |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Bangladesh Md. Shahabuddin |
| Physiotherapist | BAN Fuad Hasan Hawlader |
| Interpreter | BAN Md. Poniruzzaman Ponir |
| Team Manager | Bangladesh Arman Aziz |
| Technical Director | Bangladesh Maruful Haque |
Management
Board of directors
As of January 2023.
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| President | Bangladesh M. Abdul Latif |
| Vice-president | BAN Tarafder MD Ruhul Amin |
| General Secretary | Bangladesh Shamsul Haque Chowdhury |
| Director | Bangladesh Mahbubul Alam |
| Secretary (Football Committee) | Bangladesh Shakil Mahmud Chowdhury |
Team records
Head coach record
| Head Coach | Nat. | From | To | P | W | D | L | GS | GA | %W | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asaduzzaman Jhontu | Bangladesh | 2015 | n/a | ||||||||||||||||||
| title=Ctg Abahani rope in Manik | url=https://www.thedailystar.net/sports/football/ctg-abahani-rope-manik-124360 | work=The Daily Star | date=10 August 2015 | access-date=2 September 2020 | archive-date=4 April 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404071935/https://www.thedailystar.net/sports/football/ctg-abahani-rope-manik-124360 | url-status=live }} | BAN | {{dts | 10 August 2015 | format=dmy}} | {{dts | format=dmy | 21 September 2016 | }} | ||||||
| Jozef Pavlík | BAN | {{dts | 30 March 2016 | format=dmy}} | {{dts | format=dmy | 21 September 2016 | }} | |||||||||||||
| Zulfiker Mahmud Mintu (interim) | BAN | {{dts | format=dmy | 21 September 2016 | }} | {{dts | format=dmy | 31 December 2016 | }} | ||||||||||||
| Saiful Bari Titu | BAN | {{dts | format=dmy | 9 January 2017 | }} | {{dts | format=dmy | 4 January 2018 | }} | ||||||||||||
| Zulfiker Mahmud Mintu | BAN | {{dts | format=dmy | 4 January 2018 | }} | {{dts | format=dmy | 3 August 2019 | }} | ||||||||||||
| Maruful Haque | BAN | {{dts | format=dmy | October 2019 | }} | {{dts | format=dmy | 28 August 2022 | }} | ||||||||||||
| Saiful Bari Titu | BAN | {{dts | format=dmy | 9 November 2022 | }} | {{dts | format=dmy | 12 February 2023 | }} | ||||||||||||
| Mahabubul Haque Juwel | BAN | {{dts | format=dmy | 12 February 2023 | }} | 25 March 2024 | |||||||||||||||
| Md Tajuddin Taju | BAN | {{dts | format=dmy | 25 March 2024 | }} | 30 June 2025 | |||||||||||||||
| Rakib Uddin | BAN | {{dts | format=dmy | 1 October 2025 | }} | Present |
W – Won matches D – Drawn matches L – Lost matches GS – Goal scored GA – Goals against
%W – Percentage of matches won}}
Top scorers by season
.jpg)
| Season | Player | Total Goals | BPL | Federation Cup | Independence Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | BAN Tawhidul Alam Sabuz | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 |
| 2018–19 | GAM Momodou Bah | 11 | 6 | 2 | 3 |
| 2019-20 | Brazil Nixon Guylherme | 5 | 4 | 1 | Not held |
| 2020-21 | Brazil Nixon Guylherme | 13 | 12 | 1 | Not held |
| 2021-22 | Nigeria Peter Ebimobowei | 22 | 20 | 1 | 1 |
| 2022–23 | NGR Ojukwu David Ifegwu | 13 | 10 | 1 | 2 |
All-time top scorers
The table is a record of goals scored since 2017–18 season and accurate as of the end of the 2022–23 season. Goals scored in major competitions (Premier League, Federation Cup & Independence Cup) are counted in the list below.
| Ranking | Name | Years | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigeria Peter Ebimobowei | 2021–22 | 22 |
| 2 | Brazil Nixon Guylherme | 2019–21 | 18 |
| 3 | Nigeria Ojukwu David Ifegwu | 2022–23 | 13 |
| 4 | Nigeria Matthew Chinedu | 2019–21 | 12 |
| 5 | Gambia Momodou Bah | 2018-19 | 11 |
| 6 | Bangladesh Tawhidul Alam Sabuj | 2017-18 | 10 |
| 7 | Bangladesh Rakib Hossain | 2019–21 | 9 |
| 8 | Ivory Coast Kpehi Didier Brossou | 2019–21 | 8 |
| 9 | Bangladesh Shakhawat Rony | 2017–18, 2019–22 | 7 |
| 10 | Nigeria Nduka Alison | 2017-18 | 6 |
Source: Soccerway
All-time top scorers in Premier League
The table is a record of goals scored since 2017–18 season and accurate as of the end of the 2022–23 season.
| Ranking | Name | Years | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigeria Peter Ebimobowei | 2022 | 20 |
| 2 | Brazil Nixon Guylherme | 2020–21 | 16 |
| 3 | NGR Matthew Chinedu | 2020–21 | 11 |
| 4 | Nigeria Ojukwu David Ifegwu | 2022–23 | 10 |
| 5 | Bangladesh Tawhidul Alam Sabuj | 2017-18 | 8 |
| 6 | Bangladesh Rakib Hossain | 2020–21 | 7 |
| Ivory Coast Didier Brossou | 2020–21 | 7 | |
| 8 | Gambia Momodou Bah | 2018-19 | 6 |
| 9 | Bangladesh Shakhawat Rony | 2017–18, 2020–22 | 5 |
| BAN Ekbal Hossain | 2022–23 | 5 | |
| Afghanistan Omid Popalzay | 2022 | 5 |
Source: Soccerway
Most appearances in Premier League
The table is a record of appearances made since 2017–18 season and accurate as of the end of the 2022–23 season.
| Ranking | Name | Years | App. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bangladesh Monir Alam | 2018-22 | 74 |
| 2 | Bangladesh Koushik Barua | 2017–22 | 68 |
| 3 | Bangladesh Monaem Khan Raju | 2018–21 | 45 |
| 4 | Nigeria Mufta Lawal | 2017-19 | 39 |
| 5 | UZB Shukurali Pulatov | 2020, 2021, 2022–23 | 38 |
| 5 | Bangladesh Shakhawat Rony | 2017–18, 2020–22 | 34 |
| 6 | Bangladesh Shawkat Russel | 2020–22 | 33 |
| 7 | Nigeria Matthew Chinedu | 2019-21 | 30 |
| 8 | BRA Nixon Guylherme | 2019-21 | 29 |
| Bangladesh Mannaf Rabby | 2017-18, 2019–21 | 29 | |
| Bangladesh Arafat Hossen | 2020–23 | 29 |
Source: Soccerway
Recent seasons
| Season | League | Level | Position | Movements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 | Chittagong | Regional | 1st | qualified for |
| 2000–01 | NFL | 1st Tier | 3rd of 8 | |
| 2001–02 | NFL | 1st Tier | Super Four | |
| 2003–04 | Chittagong | Regional | 2nd of 10 | |
| 2005–06 | Chittagong | Regional | 2nd | |
| 2007–08 | BPL | 1st Tier | 10th of 11 | |
| 2008–09 | BPL | 1st Tier | 8th of 11 | |
| 2009–10 | BPL | 1st Tier | 11th of 13 | |
| 2010–11 | BPL | 1st Tier | 12th of 12 | Relegated |
| 2011–12 | BCL | 2nd Tier | 7th of 7 | |
| 2012–13 | BCL | 2nd Tier | 1st of 8 | Promoted |
| 2013–14 | BPL | 1st Tier | 8th of 10 | |
| 2014–15 | BPL | 1st Tier | 9th of 11 | |
| 2015–16 | BPL | 1st Tier | 2nd of 12 | |
| 2017–18 | BPL | 1st Tier | 3rd of 12 | |
| 2018–19 | BPL | 1st Tier | 8th of 13 | |
| 2019–20 | BPL | 1st Tier | 2nd of 13 (league abandoned) | |
| 2020–21 | BPL | 1st Tier | 5th of 13 | |
| 2021-22 | BPL | 1st Tier | 7th of 12 | |
| 2022–23 | BPL | 1st Tier | 8th of 11 |
Source: RSSF
Stadium
The M. A. Aziz Stadium is the primary home venue of Chittagong Abahani. However, the club also plays their home matches at Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium of Munshiganj. The club also used Bangabandhu National Stadium and Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta Stadium as home venues in some seasons.
Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2015–2017 | N/A | Saif Powertec Limited |
| 2018–2019 | N/A | Saif Power Battery |
| 2019–2020 | Noor Enterprise | Saif Power Battery |
| 2020–2024 | Noor Enterprise | Ignite Battery |
| 2024–2025 | Designex | Not yet confirmed |
Honours
Notable overseas players
- Players listed below have had senior international cap(s) for their respective countries before, while and/or after playing at Chittagong Abahani. The years indicate the time they played for the club.
Asia
- AFG Omid Popalzay (2021–2022)
- BHU Chencho Gyeltshen (2016–2017)
- KGZ Daniel Tagoe (2018–2019)
- NEP Santosh Sahukhala (2007–2010)
- NEP Lok Bandhu Gurung (2008–2013)
- NEP Kiran Chemjong (2008–2010)
Africa
- RSA William Twala (2021–2022)
- NGA Abu Azeez (2023) North America
- Haiti Leonel Saint-Preux (2016–2018)
- Haiti Walson Augustin (2017)
- Haiti Fabrice Noël (2016)
Notes
References
References
- (16 November 2013). "Brothers bring back Naeemuddin as coach". Dhaka Tribune.
- "Bangladesh – Abahani Limited Chittagong". Soccerway.
- "Ctg Abahani wins BCL title". Dhaka Tribune.
- "Sheikh Kamal Int'l Club Cup football tournament kicks off Oct 20". Dhaka Tribune.
- "Hasina says Chittagong Abahani created history in Bangladesh football". bdnews24.com.
- (8 May 2016). "Chittagong Abahani win Independence Cup". Daily Sun.
- link. Bangladesh Pratidin. (16 April 2020)
- link. Majida. Ismat. (2018-12-02)
- link. Sahos
- link. NTV. (2015-10-30)
- link. Bhorer Kagoj
- link. Prothom Alo. (8 May 2016)
- link. The Daily Sangram
- link. Jugantor. (8 January 2018)
- "We are delighted to welcome back Maruful Haque to the #CAL.".
- offsidebangladesh. (2023-10-25). "নতুন ভূমিকায় চট্টগ্রাম আবাহনীতে ফিরছেন মারুফুল!".
- (10 August 2015). "Ctg Abahani rope in Manik". The Daily Star.
- (16 March 2016). "Ctg Abhani want Manik to be punished". The Daily Star.
- "Chittagong Abahani introduce new foreign coach". The Daily Observer.
- Iqbal. Nair. link. Prothom Alo
- link. Jago News 24
- link. Prothom Alo. (9 January 2017)
- Hoque, Shishir. (30 October 2019). "Maruful, the tactical mastermind". Dhaka Tribune.
- "Titu to coach Ctg Abahani coming season - Sports - observerbd.com". The Daily Observer.
- "Announcement.".
- (February 2023). link
- "Official Announcement".
- link. Manab Zamin
- (2021-12-27). link. The Daily Ittefaq
- "Chittagong Abahani Limited – Players from A–Z".
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