Rahmatganj MFS

Full name	Rahmatganj Muslim Friends Society
Founded	1933; 91 years ago (1933)
Ground	Shaheed Bir Sreshtho Flight Lt. Matiur Rahman Stadium
Capacity	10,000
Chairman	Haji Tipu Sultan
Head coach	Kamal Babu
League	Bangladesh Premier League
2023–24	BPL, 9th of 10
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Rahmatganj Muslim Friends Society (Bengali : রহমতগঞ্জ মুসলিম ফ্রেন্ডস সোসাইটি) is a Bangladeshi professional football club^[1][2] based in Old Dhaka. Founded in 1933, the club is currently competing in the Bangladesh Premier League. It was also a team of Bangladesh Championship League,^[3] until gaining promotion in the 2014 season. Haji Tipu Sultan is the current president and Haji Humayun Kabir is the general secretary.

Rahmatganj Muslim Friends Society was founded in January 1933 in Old Dhaka, during the British regime. The club's founder, Abul Kashem Shaheb, was a resident of the Rahmatganj area in Old Dhaka. The other founding members were Alauddin, Md. Azam, Ahmad Hossain, Md. Sadek, and Abu Saeed from Imamganj. Abdus Sobhan and Md. Kashem served as the club's first president and general secretary, respectively. Originally, the club operated as a social service institution, but gradually it became involved in sports. As a result, the club began participating in various football tournaments held in Dhaka, forming a team with the area's youth.^[4]

In 1950, Md. Kashem, held a meeting with the general Secretary of Dhaka District Sports Association at the time, Khawaja Ajmal Saheb, and arranged the fee required to enter the Second Division. The club remained active in the league throughout the decade, nonetheless, were eventually relegated as they were unable to form a stable team. In 1963, under preseident Md. Aref Mia Sardar and general secretary M.A. Awal, the club became champions of the Third Division.^[4]

In 1964, the club formed a team with the help of Jahangir Faiz Saheb from Dhaka Hall, which included university students M.M. Sharif, Ramzan Ali, Montu Abzan Khan, Abdul Aziz, and captain Baharuddin. The team went on to become Second Division champions, securing its promotion to the First Division.^[5][6]

In 1965, the club entered the First Division under the captaincy of QM Rafique Dipu.^[4] On May 17, they began their top-tier journey with a 0–7 defeat to defending champions Victoria SC. The club finished their inaugural season in the First Division in tenth place. They consistently finished in fifth place for three consecutive seasons, from 1966 to 1968. Notable players who played for the club during this time included Sultan Ahmed, Mohammed Kaikobad, Golam Sarwar Tipu, Manjur Murshid Gauss, Shajahan Alam, and Scooter Gafoor, among others. The club first participated in the Aga Khan Gold Cup in 1966 under the captaincy of Shajahan Alam. During the tournament, the club defeated the West Pakistan Government Press but suffered a defeat to Ceylon, which ultimately prevented them from reaching the Round-robin league of the tournament. The club finished in fourth and fifth places in 1969 and 1970, respectively.^[6]

Following the Independence of Bangladesh, the club was coached by Noor Hossain, a physical education teacher at Jagannath College.^[4] In 1973, Rahmatganj participated in the Bordoloi Trophy held in Guwahati, India.^[6] The team included club captain Sultan Ahmed and several guest players from different local clubs, such as Nowsheruzzaman, Sharifuzzaman, Enayetur Rahman and Zakaria Pintoo. The club finished in third-place in the 1973 season, the first completed season since the country's liberation. In 1977, the club enjoyed one of the most successful seasons in its history, finishing as runners-up behind Dhaka Abahani in both the league and the Liberation Cup. In the first leg of the league's title-deciding game, Rahmatganj earned a 0–0 draw with Abahani. However, in the return game held on 22 September, the club, down to ten men after Salahuddin Kala^[7] was sent off, suffered a 1–3 defeat, despite Hassan Ahmedul Haque giving them the lead.^[8][9]

In 1978, Wazed Gazi took over the club's head coach duties from Noor Hossain and served until 1983.^[10] During this time, the club finished third in the league in both 1982 and 1984, the latter under coach Abdur Rahim. Rahim remained at the post until 1986, after which the club would enjoy regular mid-table finishes.^[11] In 1992, they finished fifth in the league, which qualified them, along with that season's top ten teams, to become founding members of the newly introduced top-tier league the following year, the Premier Division.^[12]

Relegation to the First Division came after the club finished ninth with thirteen points from eighteen games during the inaugural edition of the Premier Division in 1993.^[13] This marked the end of Rahmatganj's 28-year stay in the top flight. In 1994, under the captaincy of Mohammed Aman, the club became First Division champions and returned to the top-flight on their first attempt.^[14]

In 2001, with the help of star-striker Saifur Rahman Moni, Rahmatganj finished the league season in third-place, six points off the eventual champions, Dhaka Abahani. Moni departed for Muktijoddha Sangsad KC in 2002, and the club suffered relegation the same year, finishing second from bottom with fourteen points from thirteen league games. In 2004, while remaining a First Division team, the club reached the quarter-finals of the Federation Cup, where they were defeated 1–2 by Muktijoddha.^[15]

Eventually, the would gain promotion back to the top-division in 2005 as champions of the First Division with thirty three points from fourteen league games.^[16] Their only defeat that season came at the hand of BRTC Sports Club, losing 1–2 at the BSSS Mostafa Kamal Stadium on 11 July.^[17]

Initially, with the introduction of the country's first professional football league, the Bangladesh Premier League (introduced as B.League), in 2007, the club was set to participate in the Senior Division, a merger of the Premier and First Divisions, serving as the second-tier.^[18] However, following the withdrawal of Faridpur FA from the new top tier, Rahmatganj was given a place in the professional league as champions of the 2004–05 First Division.^[19]

The club participated in the inaugural professional league season season under coach Abdul Motaleb and was led by captain Shoyeb Hossain Sony.^[5] On March 3, 2007, they began their league journey with a 0–2 defeat to Khulna Abahani, in a match where Khulna's Prashanta Dey made history by scoring the league's first-ever goal.^[20] On March 28, Hanif Pradhan scored the club's first league goal during a 1–4 defeat to Muktijoddha Sangsad KC.^[21] The club finally won a league game on matchday twelve, defeating Arambagh KS 2–1 in a game held on June 2. The club eventually finished at the bottom of the league with thirteen points from twenty games. However, they remained in the top flight as the league introduced a relegation system starting from the 2009–10 season.^[22]

Eventually, Rahmatganj would be relegated from the league in the 2012 season finishing botton of the table with only nine points from twenty games.^[14] The club would also be investigated by the Bangladesh Football Federation due to match-fixing allegations, nonetheless, the Federation failed to find any incriminating evidence against them.^[23][24] Rahmatganj would enter the country's second-tier professional league, the Bangladesh Championship League in 2013. The club would miss out on promotion after finishing third, six points off of second-place Uttar Baridhara.^[25] The club would eventually return to the Premier League as champions in 2014.^[26]

Rahmatganj would finish runners-up in the Federation Cup in both the 2019–20 and 2021–22 editions.^[27][28]

The club ground, located at Chowk Bazaar, is often used as a cattle market during Eid al-Adha. The market has been operated by the club every year since 1967, helping the club generate enough profit to participate in the professional league.^[29][30]

As of 22 August 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  BAN Mohammed Mamun Alif 2 DF  UZB Iskandar Siddikzhonov 3 DF  BAN Mahamudul Hasan Kiron 4 DF  BAN Masud Rana Mridha 5 MF  GHA Mamoud Oshie 6 MF  BAN Arafat Hossain 7 MF  BAN Md Sayde 8 FW  BAN Mohamed Munna 9 FW  BAN Khondoker Ashraful Islam 10 FW  BAN Nabib Newaj Jibon 11 FW  GHA Felix Tetteh 12 FW  BAN Md Nahian 13 MF  BAN Md Arabi 14 DF  BAN Tanvir Hossain 15 DF  BAN Md Taj Uddin 16 MF  BAN Maraz Hossain Opi 17 FW  BAN Mehedi Hasan Royal

No. Pos. Nation Player 18 FW  GHA Samuel Boateng 19 MF  BAN Md Rajon Howleder 20 FW  BAN Samin Yasir Juel 21 DF  BAN Ariful Islam Jitu 22 GK  BAN Shimul Kumar Das 23 DF  BAN Alfaj Mia 24 MF  BAN Akkas Ali 25 GK  BAN Shahidul Alam Sohel 26 DF  BAN Istekharul Alam Shakil 27 DF  BAN Raihan Hasan 28 FW  BAN Mohammed Fahim Nur Toha 30 GK  BAN Ahsan Habib Bipu 32 MF  BAN Ridaynul Islam Sagor 77 MF  UZB Ikhtiyor Tashpulatov 98 MF  EGY Mostafa Kahraba 99 FW  BAN Nihat Jaman Ucchash

As of 29 May 2024

Position	Name
Head Coach	Kamal Babu
Team Manager	Haji Shafi Mahmud
Assistant Coach	Sheikh Zahidur Raman Milon
Team Leader	Imteaz Hamid Shobuj
Assistant Manager	Md Jamal Uddin
Goalkeeping Coach	Humayun Kabir
Equipment Manager	Mohammad Ali
Media Officer	Md Iqbal Uddin
Security Officer	Md Mahmud Chand Raju
Physiotherapist	Md Mahfuzur Rahman

As of 8 October 2024

Position	Name
President	Haji Tipu Sultan
General secretary	Haji Humayun Kabir

As of 29 May 2024

Head Coach	From	To	P	W	D	L	GS	GA	%/W
Syed Golam Jilani	10 February 2017	2 August 2022	80	18	25	37	106	146	022.50
Kamal Babu	1 October 2022	15 November 2023	30	8	9	13	30	44	026.67
Humayun Kabir ‡	2 December 2023	30 December 2023	5	1	3	1	7	7	020.00
Sheikh Zahidur Raman Milon	2 January 2024[33]	22 March 2024	8	0	5	3	7	14	000.00
Erol Akbay	22 March 2024[34]	5 May 2024	7	1	1	5	5	12	014.29
Kamal Babu	10 May 2024	Present	4	1	3	0	6	4	025.00

‡– Interim P - Total of played matches | W - Won matches | D - Draw matches | L - Lost matches | GS - Goals scored | GA - Goals against | %W - Percentage of matches won

Record as Professional Football League member
Season	Division	League								Federation Cup	Independence Cup	Top league scorer(s)
		P	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts	Position			Player	Goals
2007	BPL	20	3	4	13	15	48	13	11th	—	—	Ashraful Awal Apu Nche Francis	3
2008–09	BPL	20	6	3	11	24	32	21	7th	Group-stages		Idris Kasirye	13
2009–10	BPL	24	7	5	12	28	36	26	8th	Quarter-finals		Idris Kasirye	9
2010–11	BPL	22	7	3	12	29	48	24	8th	Group-stages	Group-stages	Idris Kasirye	13
2012	BPL	20	2	3	15	13	46	9	11th	Quarter-finals	—	Idris Kasirye	6
2012–13	BCL	14	4	7	3	16	13	19	3rd	Group-stages	Qual. round 2	Nurul Afsar	6
2013–14	BCL	18	13	5	0	36	8	44	Champions	Group-stages	Group-stages	Nurul Absar	11
2014–15	BPL	20	3	5	12	21	39	14	10th	Group-stages	—	Gideon Solomon	7
2016	BPL	22	7	6	9	37	34	27	7th	Quarter-finals	Group-stages	Siyo Zunapio	12
2017–18	BPL	22	3	9	10	19	30	18	10th	Semi-finals	Semi-finals	Ismael Bangoura	4
2018–19	BPL	24	4	10	10	34	53	22	10th	Group-stages	Quarter-finals	Siyo Zunapio	13
2019–20	BPL	Abandoned								Runners-up	—	Momodou Bah Akobir Turaev	2
2020–21	BPL	24	6	7	11	23	31	25	8th	Group-stages		Christ Remi	8
2021–22	BPL	22	4	6	12	33	46	18	10th	Runners-up	Group-stages	Sunday Chizoba	12
2022–23	BPL	20	4	7	9	15	31	19	9th	Quarter-finals	Group-stages	Peter Ebimobowei	4
2023–24	BPL	18	2	10	6	19	26	16	9th	Quarter-finals	Semi-finals	Ernest Boateng	9

P – Total of played matches W – Won matches D – Drawn matches L – Lost matches GF – Goals for the team GA – Goals against
Pts- Points

As of 11 June 2023^[35]

Ranking	Team	Points
429	Indian Arrows	35.0
430	Al-Orobah FC	35.0
431	Rahmatganj MFS	35.0
432	Druk Lhayul FC	34.0
433	Al-Mussanah Club	34.0

• Bangladesh Championship League
  • Champions (1): 2014
• Dhaka First Division League (level 2)
  • Champions (2): 1994, 2004–05
  • Runners-up (1): 1996
• Dhaka First Division League (level 1)
  • Runners-up (1): 1977
• Dhaka Second Division League
  • Champions (1): 1964
• Dhaka Third Division League
  • Champions (1): 1963

• Federation Cup
  • Runners-up (2): 2019–20, 2021–22
• Liberation Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 1977

• The players below had senior international cap(s) for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed, represented their countries before or after playing for Rahmatganj MFS.

Asia

• Golam Sarwar Tipu (1966)^[36]
• Ganesh Thapa (1988–89)^[37]
• Upendra Man Singh (2003–04)^[38]
• Siyovush Asrorov (2020–21; 2022)^[39]
• Khurshed Beknazarov (2021–22)^[40]
• Fatkhullo Fatkhulloyev (2022–23)^[41]

• Hoque, Shishir (4 March 2018). "Football before the birth of Bangladesh". archive.dhakatribune.com. Dhaka, Bangladesh: Dhaka Tribune. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
• "অবশেষে দেশে ফিরলেন কিংবদন্তি ফুটবলার এনায়েত". Daily Janakantha (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2022-08-30. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
• Mahmud, Dulal (20 September 2020). "ফুটবলার আসলামের আসলাম হয়ে ওঠার গল্প" [The story of footballer Aslam's journey of becoming Aslam]. khulnagazette.com (in Bengali). Khulna, Bangladesh: Khulna Gazette. Archived from the original on 28 August 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
• Mahmud, Dulal (10 April 2021). "আকাশি-নীলের উত্থান" [The rise of ski-blue]. utpalshuvro.com (in Bengali). Dhaka: Utpal Shuvro. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
• Kabir, Iqbal (13 January 2024). "ফুটবলে তিনি রহমতগঞ্জের এজাজ হিসেবে পরিচিত ছিলেন" [He was known as Ejaz of Rahmatganj in football]. Ctgsangbad.com (in Bengali). Ctgsangbad. Archived from the original on 10 August 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
• Kabir, Iqbal (2 July 2022). "ফুটবলে তিনি রহমতগঞ্জের এজাজ হিসেবে পরিচিত ছিলেন" [Pathshalas for making footballers in rural towns, should be looked at: Askar Khan Babu]. Ctgsangbad.com (in Bengali). Ctgsangbad. Archived from the original on 10 August 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
• "ফুটবলে তিনি রহমতগঞ্জের এজাজ হিসেবে পরিচিত ছিলেন" [When the fruit seller's son is a footballer...] (in Bengali). Daily Janakantha. 18 January 2018. Archived from the original on 10 August 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.

• Team info at Global Sports Archive
• Team info at Sofascore
• Team info at Facebook