Golam Robbani Choton

Golam Robbani Choton
Personal information
Full name	Golam Robbani Choton
Date of birth	2 July 1968 (age 56)
Place of birth	Bogra, Rajshahi, East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh)
Position(s)	Defender
Team information
Current team	Army Football Team (head coach)
Senior career*
Years	Team
1983–1986	Basabo TS
1987–1990	Fakirerpool
1991–1993	Wari Club
1994	Fakirerpool YMC
1995–2001	Arambagh KS
2002	BRTC SC
Managerial career
1993–1994	T&T Club
1996–2005	T&T Club
2005	Dipali JS
2008	Bangladesh (assistant)
2013–2023	Bangladesh Women U14
2013–2023	Bangladesh Women U17
2009–2023	Bangladesh Women U20
2009–2023	Bangladesh Women
2023–	Bangladesh Army
2023–	Bangladesh Army Women
Medal record
Representing Bangladesh (manager)
Women's football
SAFF Women's Championship
South Asian Games
SAFF U-18 Women's Championship
SAFF U-15 Women's Championship
Bangamata U-19 Women's International Gold Cup
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Golam Robbani Choton (Bengali: গোলাম রব্বানী ছোটন) (born 2 July 1968) is a Bangladeshi professional football manager and former player, who is the current managing Bangladesh Army Football Team. He was the former head coach of Bangladesh women's under-14, Bangladesh women's under-17,^[1]^[2] Bangladesh women's under-20^[3] and Bangladesh women's national football team.^[4]^[5]^[6] He is considered as the pioneer of Bangladesh women's football. Golam Robbani had played for Fakirerpool Young Men's Club and Arambagh KS for most of his playing career as a defender.^[7]

Early years

Golam Robbani Choton was born on July 2, 1968, in Bogra, Bangladesh and spent his childhood there. But, he and his family originally from Tangail.^[7]

Career

In the 1983–84 season, he began his senior playing career by playing for Basabo Tarun Sangha, where he spent three seasons. Then, he joined Fakirerpool Young Men's Club in the 1987–88 season. After spending 3 seasons at Fakirerpool, he signed a contract with Wari Club Dhaka. Subsequently, he played for Fakirerpool and Arambagh KS. Most recently in the 2001–02 season, he joined BRTC Sports Club from Arambagh KS. He retired after playing only one season for BRTC.^[7]

Managerial career

In 1993, Golam Robbani made his debut as a manager of T&T Club. After stepping down as T&T's manager for just one season, he took over as T&T's manager again in the 1996–97 season, the second time he spent about 10 seasons as T&T's manager. He then joined Dipali Jubo Sangha as a manager. In 2009, he became the manager of the Bangladesh national women's team as well as the manager of the Bangladesh women's under-20 team. Later, he also became the manager of Bangladesh Women's Under-14 and Bangladesh women's under-17 teams. As a manager, he has won 7 titles so far, including the 2018 SAFF U-18 Women's Championship^[8]

Under his coaching, Bangladesh clinched their maiden SAFF Women's Championship title with a 3–1 victory over Nepal in an entertaining final at the Dasharath Rangasala in Kathmandu on 19 September 2022,^[9]^[10]^[11]^[12] and they became runner-up at the SAFF Women's Championship 2016.^[13] On 26 May 2023, Golam Robbani Choton has brought shocking news as he has chosen to step down from his duties as head coach of the women's team after the end of May.^[14]^[15] Then, he took over Bangladesh Army Football Team as manager.^[16]