Abahani Limited Dhaka (), also referred as Dhaka Abahani or Abahani Limited, is a Bangladeshi professional football club based in the Dhanmondi area of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The club currently competes in the Bangladesh Premier League, the top flight of Bangladeshi Football.
The club was founded as Abahani Krira Chakra (), through the re-organisation of Iqbal Sporting Club in 1972 by Sheikh Kamal, the eldest son of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. In 1989, it was converted into a Limited company. Abahani Limited Dhaka is regarded as one of the country's most renowned and well supported clubs. Since arriving in the domestic football scene, the club has formed a long enduring rivalry with the neighboring Dhaka Mohammedan SC, known as the Dhaka Derby.
The club has won eleven Dhaka League titles, which was the highest tier in Bangladesh until 2006. Since the inception of the country's first professional league, they have achieved a record 6 Bangladesh Premier League titles. With 17 domestic league titles, they are the second most successful club in Bangladesh top-tier league history, with the first being rivals Dhaka Mohammedan SC. The club has won both Federation Cup (12 times) and the Independence Cup (2 times) trophies. They have also enjoyed success in both continental and subcontinental football, winning 3 trophies (Charms Cup, Bordoloi Trophy and Sait Nagjee Trophy) from India, while in 2019, Abhani became the first Bangladeshi club to reach the knockout stages of the AFC Cup.
History
Iqbal Sporting Club (1964–1971) In 1964, after going through many legal implications, former Youth and Sports Secretary of Bangladesh Awami League, Harunur Rashid got hold of the Dhanmondi field in Road No. 19, which was owned by CNB (now known as PWD) back in East Pakistan. However, as an institution was needed to complete the transaction, in May 1966, Rashid established Abahani Samaj Kalyan Samiti, a social welfare association involved with sports, literature and culture. In 1968, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's eldest son, Sheikh Kamal got involved with Abahani following his fathers request. After the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War subsided, Kamal decided to create a new club in the newly liberated nation, then he learned of Iqbal Sporting Club, located in Mohammadpur, the Biharis who played at the club, had fled during the war. The club had already won the second-tier league before the war set about, however, they stopped all club activities the proceeding year due to the state of disarray the country was in. Kamal and co, reformed the club after being granted legal permission, and decided to use the club for Abahani's sports cycle. The reformed club, appointed Nazmul Haque as their first president, while Harunur Rashid and Mohammad Farooq served as the main secretary and football secretary respectively.
Early years (1972–1979)
Having been crowned the Second Division title in 1970 as Iqbal Sporting Club, they were granted a place in the 1972 Dhaka League, reformed as Abahani Krira Chakra Limited. Before the 1972 season went underway, Abahani had already made a name for themselves by attaining the service of the country's first "megastar" footballer, Kazi Salahuddin from Mohammedan SC. Abahani's first league squad consisted of: Abul Kashem, Muslim, Zubair, Abdus Sadek (captain), Sheikh Jamaluddin, Hashemuddin, Farooq, Jahangir Shah Badsha, Mozammel Quader, Kazi Anwar, Mohsin, QM Rafique Dipu, Ranjit Kumar Saha, Gafur Bhuiyan, Sheikh Farid, Kazi Abu Siddique, Gholam Sarwar Tipu, Kazi Salahuddin, Amalesh Sen, Mohammad Hossain, Abdul Quader, Masood Hasan, Sheikh Ashraf Ali, Belal Hossain, Ali Imam (vice-captain) and coach Kabir. Abahani played their first ever top-tier league game against 1970 Dhaka League champions, Bangladesh JIC (BJIC), and ended up earning a 0–0 draw. However, the league was abandoned midway, with the winners being unannounced. Abahani finished their first full season in the 1973 Dhaka League as runner-up, behind Bangladesh JIC. The team displayed their best performance in a 2–0 victory over giants Mohammedan SC, with goals from Amalesh Sen and Kazi Salahuddin, the latter scored 24 league goals that year.