SPORTS REPORTER

A group of professional footballers, under the banner of the Football Players’ Welfare Association (FPWA), yesterday submitted a six-point petition to the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) president Tabith Awal, calling for the complete abolition of the South Asian footballers’ quota in the Bangladesh Football League (BFL).

The demands include ensuring greater playing opportunities for domestic players, strengthening the development of local footballers through long-term planning, increasing the number of clubs in the professional league, taking responsibility for the financial security of local players, and reducing the quota of foreign players in the league.

The demands come at a time when the Professional League Management Committee has declared that the transfer window for the 2026–27 season will open on June 1.

Although South Asian players such as Nepal’s Ganesh Thapa and Raju Sakya, along with Sri Lanka’s Packeer Ali and Prem Lal once enthralled football fans in the 1980s and 1990s while playing under the foreign quota, the BFF introduced a new rule in the 2025-26 season allowing each professional league club to field up to five South Asian players as locals. This has reduced opportunities for domestic footballers. With three foreign players also permitted in a match, the total number of non-local players can rise to eight in the starting eleven.

As a result, five of the 10 top-tier BPL clubs signed 11 players from South Asian nations in the first phase of the league. A further 10 players were signed by four clubs during the mid-season transfer window.

The decision has particularly benefited mid- and lower-table clubs operating on limited budgets, as they have been able to strengthen their squads at a lower cost. However, it has made competition tougher for local players.

Following the student uprising in mid-2024, two established clubs -- Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club and Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra -- withdrew from the professional league, further reducing opportunities for players, as no additional teams were promoted to the top tier in their absence.

Top-tier clubs, including Bashundhara Kings, Abahani and Mohammedan, have also struggled financially. Kings and Abahani have faced multiple transfer bans from FIFA due to unpaid dues to foreign players, while local players have quietly accepted reduced wages over the past two seasons.

Although the number of foreign players allowed has been reduced to three in the ongoing season, the inclusion of five South Asian footballers as local players has further compounded the challenges faced by domestic footballers.