Mohammedan Sporting Club’s long-awaited dream of winning the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) for the first time in their history was realized on May 17. Their title was confirmed when Abahani Limited lost to Fortis FC in the 15th round, mathematically crowning Mohammedan as champions with three matches still to play.
Since that day, the Black and Whites had been eagerly waiting to get their hands on the coveted trophy. That moment finally arrived on Friday, when they were officially presented with the BPL trophy at their home ground in Cumilla.
Although Mohammedan were crowned champions early, their performances dipped slightly afterward. They lost their next match to Rahmatganj MFS and settled for a 3-3 draw in Friday’s 17th-round clash against Brothers Union, despite leading 3-1. Mohammedan conceded two goals in the final 20 minutes, but the result hardly mattered anymore.
After the final whistle, the players donned gold-colored T-shirts emblazoned with “Champion” and celebrated at the Dhirendranath Dutta Stadium in Cumilla. A second round of celebrations was planned for later that night at the club premises in Dhaka.
During the trophy presentation, only a handful of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) officials were in attendance. Among them were Senior Vice President and Professional League Committee member Imrul Hasan, along with executive committee members Sayeed Hasan Kanan (also Mohammedan’s goalkeeping coach), Zakir Hossain Chowdhury, Golam Gaus, and Sakhawat Hossain Bhuiyan Shahin. BFF General Secretary Imran Hossain Dousher was also present at the ceremony.
In the match against Brothers Union, Mohammedan’s captain Souleymane Diabate scored twice, while Mehedi Hasan Mithu added the third. For Brothers, the goals came from Senegalese striker Diarra, Nigerian Emeka SUNDAY, and local forward Jewel Rana. The draw took Mohammedan’s points tally to 39, while Brothers moved to 27.
Notably, this match also marked the retirement of Brothers Union goalkeeper Ashraful Islam Rana, ending his playing career.
