1987 Dhaka First Division Football League
| Season | 1987 |
|---|---|
| Dates | May 13 — 26 October 1987 |
| Champions | Mohammedan (14th title) |
| Relegated | Mirpur Chalantika Wari |
| Asian Club Championship | Mohammedan |
| Matches | 121 |
| Goals | 232 (1.92 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | 14 Sheikh Mohammad Aslam (Dhaka Abahani) |
← 1986 1988–89 → | |
The 1987 Dhaka First Division League, also known as the Senior Division National Bank Football League for sponsorship reasons, was the 15th season of the top-tier football league in Bangladesh and the 38th overall season of the First Division following the partition of India. A total of 16 teams participated in the league, which began on 13 May. The round-robin stage ended on 10 September, with the initial championship play-off held on 9 September and replayed on 26 October 1987.[1] The league champions Mohammedan qualified for the 1988–89 Asian Club Championship.
The two-point system was reinstated, under which teams received 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. Additionally, from this season onwards, the hat-trick rule was changed from requiring three consecutive goals to requiring three goals in a single game, in accordance with FIFA rules.[2] League games were played over 80 minutes, with two 40-minute halves separated by a five-minute half-time interval.[3]
Venue
The Dhaka Stadium in Dhaka was the main venue for the league.
| Dhaka | |
|---|---|
| Dhaka Stadium | |
| Capacity: 36,000 | |
 |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dhaka Abahani | 15 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 40 | 10 | +30 | 27 | Qualification for the Championship playoff |
| 2 | Mohammedan | 15 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 36 | 9 | +27 | 27 | |
| 3 | Muktijoddha | 15 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 18 | 12 | +6 | 21 | |
| 4 | Brothers Union | 15 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 16 | 9 | +7 | 20 | |
| 5 | Adamjee | 15 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 13 | 7 | +6 | 19 | |
| 6 | BRTC | 15 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 12 | 15 | −3 | 15 | |
| 7 | Farashganj | 15 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 13 | 17 | −4 | 14 | |
| 8 | Arambagh | 15 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 22 | −6 | 14 | |
| 9 | Dhanmondi | 15 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 16 | −6 | 12 | |
| 10 | Rahmatganj | 15 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 17 | −5 | 12 | |
| 11 | Sadharan Bima | 15 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 14 | −6 | 12 | |
| 12 | Dhaka Wanderers | 15 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 16 | −8 | 12 | |
| 13 | Victoria | 15 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 15 | −8 | 10 | |
| 14 | PWD | 15 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 17 | −10 | 10 | |
| 15 | Mirpur Chalantika (R) | 15 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 21 | −13 | 8 | Relegation to the 1988–89 Dhaka Second Division League |
| 16 | Wari (R) | 15 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 13 | −7 | 7 |
Championship play-off
Despite Dhaka Abahani's superior goal difference, the BFF organised a championship play-off between Abahani and Mohammedan on 9 September to determine the league winner. The play-off was required after Mohammedan defeated Abahani 3–2 in the final league match on 6 September, leaving both teams level on points.[4] Abahani's Samir Shaker was unavailable for the play-off after receiving a suspension for spitting at the fourth official during the match, while Mohammedan's Emeka Ezeugo was also ruled out after accumulating three yellow cards during the league campaign.[5]
        Abahani
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    Mohammedan
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Source:[6]
- Replay
The initial championship play-off, held on 9 September, ended in controversy after both clubs refused to play extra time and declared themselves joint champions. The BFF and the league committee (DMFLC) rejected the decision, annulled the match, and ordered a replay to be held behind closed doors due to concerns over crowd violence. The captains of both teams, Ranjit Saha of Mohammedan and Sheikh Mohammad Aslam of Dhaka Abahani, were suspended for one year (later reduced), while Abahani's Mohammad Mohsin and Mostafa Kamal and Mohammedan's Abul Hossain and Elias Hossain each received three-month suspensions.[7]
The replay was delayed for more than a month due to the disciplinary actions. Abahani initially refused to participate, while several foreign players from both clubs departed after believing that the league would not resume. Mohammedan later accepted the decision to replay the match, despite objections to the suspensions, while Abahani eventually agreed to take part. The replay was held on 26 October behind closed doors at the Ershad Army Stadium due to concerns over potential fan altercations and violence, which had been a recurring issue during matches between the two clubs in the Dhaka derby.[4]
Abahani
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 Mohammedan
|
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Source:[8]
Final table
| Pos | Team | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mohammedan (C) | Qualification for the 1988–89 Asian Club Championship |
| 2 | Dhaka Abahani |
Season statistics
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[9] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Sheikh Mohammad Aslam |
Dhaka Abahani | 14 |
| 2 |  Karim Allawi |
Dhaka Abahani | 11 |
| 3 |  Emeka Ezeugo |
Mohammedan | 9 |
| 4 |  Ratnayaka Premalal |
Dhaka Abahani | 8 |
| 5 | Mahmudul Haque Liton |
Brothers Union | 5 |
| Arif Abdul Khalek |
Muktijoddha | 5 | |
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheikh Mohammad Aslam |
Dhaka Abahani | PWD | 5–2 | 29 June 1987[9] |
See also
References
- ↑ Hossain, Faaris Na'il; Burns, Peter; King, Ian. "Bangladesh 1987". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2 July 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
- ↑ "আজ সিনিয়র ডিভিশন ন্যাশনাল ব্যাঙ্ক ফুটবল লীগ" [Today Senior Division National Bank Football League] (in Bengali). The Sangbad. 13 May 1987. p. 7.
- ↑ "মোহামেডান ও আবাহনীর খেলোয়াড়দের 'যুদ্ব বিরতি' ।। লীগের ইতিহাসে নজিরবিহীন ঘটনা" [Mohammedan and Abahani players' 'war breaks (out)'. An unprecedented event in the history of the league] (in Bengali). The Daily Ittefaq. 10 September 1987. p. 1.
- 1 2 Iqbal, Niar. বাংলাদেশের ফুটবলে একবারই 'দর্শকবিহীন' ম্যাচ [Bangladesh football has only one match without spectators]. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
- ↑ "চূড়ান্ত লড়াই" [The final battle] (in Bengali). The Sangbad. 9 September 1987. p. 8.
- ↑ "খেলার বিবরণ" [Game details] (in Bengali). The Sangbad. 10 September 1987. p. 12.
- ↑ Iqbal, Niar (21 September 2016). "আবাহনী-মোহামেডানের 'সন্ধি' হয়েছিল যেদিন" [The day Abahani-Mohammedan 'meeting' took place]. Prothomalo (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 22 February 2024.
- ↑ "মোহামেডান চ্যাম্পিয়ন" [Mohammedan Champion] (in Bengali). The Sangbad. 27 October 1987. p. 7.
- 1 2 "লীগ আসরে যারা গোয়াল করেছে" [Those who scored goals in the league] (in Bengali). Krirajagat. 15 September 1987. p. 15–16.