Abahani shines under pressure

The charm of the past is no longer there—Abahani-Mohammedan now only exists as a skeleton of its once glorious legacy! Despite this situation, there are still some supporters who continue to follow the two popular clubs and keep themselves updated. Mazed Hossain Tutul, a resident of Azimpur, is one such person. Despite his busy schedule, he stays informed about Abahani's progress and, when time permits, enjoys conversations with friends, reminiscing about the club's glorious footballing past. Abahani's die-hard fans have been under pressure in recent seasons. The dominance of Bashundhara Kings on the field has overshadowed their beloved club. This pressure comes from watching Abahani's fading brilliance on the pitch.

However, this season, the team's performance has reignited the spirits of their supporters. Abahani is facing tough times, but as always, the sky-yellow team seems to thrive against the tide! Following the events of August 5, when the club tent was attacked and looted, many of Abahani Limited's historical symbols were lost. Most of the club's donors were involved in politics, and with the changes in the political landscape, many of them are no longer in their previous positions. This has made the situation outside the club a bit unstable, but this instability is not reflected in the performance on the field. In fact, compared to recent seasons, the club seems much brighter now, and Abahani's supporters are more energized than ever.

The supporters on the Facebook page "Abahani Limited: The Sky Blue Brigade" have been quite active recently. This enthusiasm is the result of their efforts to give their best on the field despite limited resources. If achievements are considered as the standard, Abahani has not yet earned any titles this season. However, when the team's performances and various statistics are taken into account, what the club has accomplished is truly remarkable! The doubts and concerns that existed at the beginning of the season have now disappeared.

It’s well known that this season, Abahani is playing with local players. Despite this, the club’s statistics are astounding—out of 13 matches, they have only lost once. The teams they’ve faced so far in these 13 matches are all composed of foreign players. Most of these foreign players are attackers, yet Abahani's defense has been impressive—having conceded only one goal in 13 matches. This is a remarkable achievement for one of the most popular clubs in the country.

The first phase of the Premier League has concluded, and the second league is scheduled to begin on February 21. The group stage of the Federation Cup has also ended. So far, out of the 13 matches played in these two ongoing tournaments, Abahani has conceded just one goal, which came on November 14 against Mohammedan. However, the club avenged this 1-0 loss in the Federation Cup, defeating Mohammedan by the same margin.

Since that loss to Mohammedan, Abahani has maintained a clean sheet in all of their next nine matches, going 810 minutes without conceding a goal. This achievement is credited to Abahani’s goalkeeper Mitul Marma and the defensive line. The national team’s first-choice goalkeeper, Mitul Marma, has kept a clean sheet for 436 minutes in the league. In the Federation Cup, he played three out of four matches, maintaining a clean sheet in all of them. Across both tournaments, Mitul has gone 706 minutes without conceding a goal.

Mitul Marma credits the entire team for the impressive performance, saying, "Football is a team game, and we are working together as a team. It’s not just the defense, but the whole team has been supportive. This is why Abahani has conceded only one goal so far this season. Every member of the team is working hard. When we work with determination, we can overcome many limitations. That’s what we are striving to do."

In the Premier League, Mohammedan leads the standings with 24 points from nine matches, having lost just one match. Abahani, with one loss and two draws from their nine matches, is in second place with 20 points. The five-time consecutive league champions, Bashundhara Kings, are in third place with 17 points. In the Federation Cup, Abahani has won all four of their matches in Group B, securing a perfect record without conceding any goals.

Supporters are witnessing the resurgence of Yasin Khan in Abahani’s remarkable journey. The 30-year-old center-back has played every minute of all nine matches in the league. As mentioned earlier, Abahani has conceded only one goal in the first phase of nine matches, a feat credited to the entire defense and goalkeeper. Yasin Khan has become a symbol of trust in the defense for Abahani. Given his performance in domestic competitions, supporters are beginning to believe that this center-back could make a return to the national team.

Yasin Khan himself is thoroughly enjoying the season with Abahani. He has kept himself prepared in case the opportunity to play for the national team arises. Speaking about this, Yasin Khan said, "Maruful Haque Sir is an amazing motivator. He has inspired us all, telling us, 'You are no less than the foreign players.' The team officials are constantly motivating us as well. The whole team is playing as one unit, and we are enjoying it. If the national team coach considers me worthy, I might wear the red-and-green jersey again. I am keeping myself ready for that."

Abahani is showing great consistency on the field with their local players, and this has stirred up strong emotions among their supporters on social media. On the club's Facebook page, "Abahani Limited: The Sky Blue Brigade," supporter AKH Md Badiul Alam wrote, "Hard work, discipline, and the desire to win never go in vain. Abahani and Maruful Haque have proven this truth once again. Keep going, Abahani. We expect an even better performance in the second league."

While showing impressive skill with local players, Abahani is also considering foreign players. Sharing this thought, Badiul Alam wrote in another post, "Maybe a foreign player will come, or maybe not, due to financial reasons. If they do, it’s good, but we want Abahani to keep playing in the same rhythm, regardless of the result. Even if we lose while playing well, we won't be unhappy. Victory and defeat are part of the game." Supporter Md Bayezid Mustafa expressed, "Every loss or draw of Abahani makes my heart bleed. I don’t know why it feels that way." Another supporter, Md Manik, wrote, "Those who didn’t see Abahani’s games in the 1994 league will understand by watching this year's Abahani that this team is the same— a determined team."

Hero Mosleh Uddin’s post reflected deep emotion and pride regarding Abahani and the issue of local players: "Many congratulations and best wishes to Team Abahani. Keep moving forward. Learn from Abahani— a team built with domestic players, filled with promise and confidence. Abahani-1: Rahmatganj-0."

The feeling of defeating Mohammedan was also expressed in a Facebook page admin's post: "Beating Mohammedan is always a pleasure. This time, it's even more special. Joy Abahani!"

The topic of renaming the Dhanmondi 8 Bridge in honor of former Abahani and national team captain Monem Munna was also raised in an admin post: "The Dhanmondi 8 Bridge was named in honor of Monem Munna. However, that signboard was covered with posters. So, as a personal responsibility, my colleague and I removed all the posters and cleaned it up."

Another supporter, AJ Russell, wrote, "When the league started, we didn’t expect Abahani to be in this position. The Sky Blues have been playing brilliantly with an entirely local squad. Out of nine matches, they kept clean sheets in eight, conceding a goal in only one match."

Supporter Ferdous Iqbal Shapla suggested the idea of uniting multiple platforms of Abahani on social media and creating a fund to support the team, especially for potential foreign player acquisitions during mid-season team changes: "Can we merge the two Abahani supporters’ groups into one platform under a single name and create a fund for bringing in foreign players if necessary? I’m hoping for feedback from the admins of both groups and everyone’s opinions on this."

Although Bashundhara Kings has been showing strong performances recently, Abahani still leads in terms of achievements. Since the professionalization of football in Bangladesh, Abahani has won the Premier League title a record six times. However, the club has faced a tough period in recent years. After the 2017-18 season, they haven't been able to capture the Premier League title. The last trophy they won was the Federation Cup in the 2021-22 season, which remains their most recent success.

The question now is whether this version of Abahani can shake off its recent failures. Only time will say. However, Abahani’s current campaign has given their supporters a renewed sense of optimism. Both in the Premier League and Federation Cup, Maruful Haque’s Sky Blue Brigade is still in the title race.

Mahbub Sarkar: Sports Journalist and Sports Analyst