Touch of colour in black-and-white: Mohammedan’s title glory

According to Transfermarkt.com, Inter Milan's squad value stands at €663.80 million, while Barcelona’s squad is valued at a staggering €1.02 billion. Yet it was the Italian side that marched into the UEFA Champions League final, defeating Barcelona. Squad value is often just a number—a notion that gets proven time and again. The latest edition of the Champions League confirmed that yet again. A similar story played out in domestic football, where traditional powerhouse Mohammedan SC defied the odds and outperformed expectations, throwing paper calculations out the window.

On paper, Bashundhara Kings once again fielded the strongest side this season. Abahani Limited relied largely on domestic players for much of the campaign. Compared man for man, Abahani’s local lineup appeared superior to Mohammedan’s. Yet it was Mohammedan that emerged as league champions, overtaking both Bashundhara Kings and Abahani.

This success, however, didn’t come overnight. The seeds were sown back in March 2023 under the guidance of Alfaz Ahmed. But let’s rewind a bit. In 2022, after British coach Sean Lane stepped down, former player and coach Shafiqul Islam Manik took charge of the Mohammedan dugout. Despite his experience, the team underperformed and hovered dangerously close to the relegation zone. A mutual parting of ways followed, and the club turned to one of its own—Alfaz Ahmed. The former star striker took charge, sparking a turnaround.

Mohammedan signaled its resurgence by winning the Federation Cup in the 2023–24 season. Though they trailed Bashundhara Kings in that year’s Premier League race, they couldn’t catch up. The 2024–25 season began with a Challenge Cup final loss—despite taking the lead, they fell 3–1 to Bashundhara Kings. They couldn’t make a mark in the Federation Cup either. But from the start of the league season, Mohammedan was simply unstoppable. Eight consecutive wins set the tone, with only a lone defeat to Youngmen’s Club Fakirerpool at the end of the first leg. That was their only real setback. Mohammedan then drew 0–0 with Abahani and 1–1 with Fortis FC but kept winning the rest, closing in on the coveted title. In the fifteenth round, Mohammedan won their match while Abahani lost, handing the league crown to Alfaz Ahmed’s men.

Mohammedan’s last top-flight league title came in 2001–02, nearly half a decade before professional football was introduced in Bangladesh. Their last major silverware was the National League title in 2005–06. Since the introduction of professional football in 2007, the Super Cup had been their biggest success, with the club lifting the high-stakes trophy twice in three editions. But those could never make up for the longing for a league title. That longing has finally ended—with three matches to spare.

Mohammedan played their fifteenth-round match on May 16. The next day, Abahani faced Fortis FC. The title equation was simple: if Abahani lost, Mohammedan would be crowned champions. There was extra intrigue because Abahani had drawn against Fortis in the first leg. In a rain-disrupted match, Abahani lost to ten-man Fortis FC, clinching the title for Mohammedan. Joy swept through the black-and-white camp, and the club was soon lit up in celebration. Fans poured in, and social media was awash with emotion and jubilation. Since the title wasn’t confirmed on the field, celebrations felt incomplete, but officials were already planning delayed festivities.

Alfaz Ahmed, Mohammedan’s head coach, was watching that decisive Abahani–Fortis match from the club tent with colleagues. Alongside him were team manager Imtiaz Ahmed Naqeeb and coach Abdul Kaiyum Sentu. Although the title is now secured, Mohammedan still has three games to play. The first of those is against Rahmatganj Muslim Friends Society. The fixture may lack competitive importance, but there’s emotional value—especially since it will be held at the Comilla Stadium, the home ground of the late Mohammedan legend Badal Roy.

While Alfaz Ahmed is now singing the tune of "collective credit," there's always a story behind success. When asked about the story behind this one, he said, “We’ve been working with this squad for several seasons. We didn’t bring in too many players, and we didn’t lose many either. Together with manager Imtiaz Ahmed Naqeeb, we tried to maintain team consistency. Maybe that’s what paid off.” Off the field, Naqeeb handled the administration with finesse, while Alfaz and Sentu handled the tactics. On the pitch, players like Souleymane Diabate, Muzaffar Muzaffarov, Emmanuel Sunday, Mehedi Hasan Mithu, Shakil Ahad Topu, Sujon Hossain, Minhajur Abedin Rakib, and Zahid Hasan gave it their all.

Last season, four standout players—Shahriar Emon, Hasan Murad, Kamrul Islam, and Jafar Iqbal—left Mohammedan for Abahani. But the club didn’t struggle to fill the gaps. In fact, the newcomers integrated superbly and etched their names in history by helping secure Mohammedan’s first professional-era league title. Three foreign recruits played crucial roles: Muzaffar Muzaffarov from Uzbekistan, Emmanuel Sunday from Nigeria, and Souleymane Diabate from Mali. Muzaffarov, the midfield engine, also chipped in with goals and defensive duties. Sunday and Diabate led the frontline, both scoring 10 league goals—second only to Rahmatganj’s Samuel Boateng, who leads with 14.

“This title is the result of hard work and belief,” said Alfaz Ahmed. “Everyone gave their best—there was no shortage of effort from anyone involved with the club.” After finishing runners-up three times in the early years of the professional league, and again in the 2023–24 season, Mohammedan has finally laid its hands on the elusive title in the 17th edition of the league. With this win, they join an elite group of champions: Abahani (6 titles), Bashundhara Kings (5), Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club (3), and Sheikh Russel KC. Now, the black-and-white giants of Mohammedan have their name proudly etched on that list.

Mahbub Sarkar is a journalist.