Sheikh Russel KC

Sheikh Russel KC is a professional football club based in Dhaka, Bangladesh.[2] Founded in 1995, the club is currently competing in the Bangladesh Premier League. They won Federation Cup in 2012, which is club's first major title. The club also won their maiden Bangladesh Premier League title in the season 2012–13. Sayem Sobhan Anvir, managing director of Bashundhara Group, is the chairman of Sheikh Russel KC.[3] The club was based at the Sylhet District Stadium until 2021 when they moved to their present home venue, the Bashundhara Kings Arena.[4]

Sheikh Russel KC
Full nameSheikh Russel Krira Chakra Limited
Nickname(s)Bengal Blues
Founded1995 (1995)
GroundBashundhara Kings Arena
Capacity14,000[1]
PresidentSayem Sobhan Anvir
Head coachJugoslav Trenchovski
LeagueBangladesh Premier League
2022–23BPL, 5th of 11
WebsiteClub website

History

Emergence

Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra was established in 1995 and named after Sheikh Russel, son of former President of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.[5] The founder was Shahjahan Kabir, and striker Shofiqur Rahman Titu was appointed as the teams first ever captain in 1996. The club started its journey in 1996 with the Pioneer Football League. Then in 1998 the team became runners-up in the Dhaka Third Division and were promoted to the Dhaka Second Division, under the coaching of Wazed Gazi.

In 2002, Sheikh Russel KC became runners-up in the Dhaka First Division (second Tier). In their first appearance in top-flight football in 2003–04 season, Sheikh Russel stunned traditional powerhouses like Abahani, Mohammedan and Muktijoddha Sangsad to finish second in the top-tier at the time, the Premier Division Football League. Since then, despite playing in the country's first professional top-tier league, the Bangladesh Premier League regularly, Sheikh Russel did not get the expected success until the start of the next decade.[6]

Treble win and drought

In the 2012–13 season, Sheikh Russel KC got its highest success by winning the domestic treble, under the guidance of local coach Maruful Haque. Sheikh Russel defeated Sheikh Jamal DC 2–1 in extra time of the Federation Cup final to win a title for the first time its history. They then went on to win the 2013 Independence Cup final, 3–2 against Sheikh Jamal. They completed the treble by again edging Sheikh Jamal DC, this time to the 2012–13 Bangladesh Premier League. The team captained by goalkeeper Biplob Bhattacharjee, only conceded 14 goals in league, while Haitian playmaker Sony Norde, was the lethal, scoring 16 league goals.[7]

Since their treble winning season, the club has failed to win another trophy finishing runners-up in multiple tournaments and were also knocked out of the AFC Cup qualifiers twice.[8][9][10] They were also defeated by Mohammedan SC in the 2013 Super Cup final.[11] However, the team did manage to reach the semi-finals of the 2014 AFC President's Cup.[12]

On 9 January 2015, the managing director of Bashundhara Group, Sayem Sobhan Anvir was appointed as the club's new chairman. He assured that the club would be back challenging for titles once more.[13] However, the clubs further investment all went in vain as they failed to produce results on the pitch the following seasons.

On 20 April 2017, Sheikh Russel KC were fined 2000 Swiss Francs by FIFA over contract disputes with a player and a coach.[14]

Attempt to rebuild

In October 2018, veteran coach Saiful Bari Titu was appointed as the clubs head coach. In 2020, Sheikh Russel were one of the four clubs from Bangladesh to attain AFC Cup licensing.[15] Russel spent heavily the next three years signing several national team players alongside expensive foreign recruits, however, the club found themselves fighting for relegation, leading to Titu's dismissal after three and a half years of service to the club, in March 2022.[16][17]

Current squad

Sheikh Russel KC squad for 2022–23 season.

As of 27 March 2023

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 Bangladesh BAN Ashraful Islam Rana
2 DF Bangladesh BAN Monir Hossain
3 DF Bangladesh BAN Abid Ahmed
4 DF Bangladesh BAN Yeasin Khan
5 DF Nigeria NGA Ganiu Ogungbe
6 MF Bangladesh BAN Jamal Bhuyan (Captain)
7 DF Bangladesh BAN Khalekurzaman Sabuj
8 MF Ivory Coast CIV Didier Brossou
9 MF Bangladesh BAN Hemanta Vincent Biswas
11 MF Australia AUS Andrew Marveggio
12 MF Bangladesh BAN Jewel Mia
13 MF Bangladesh BAN Sujon Biswas
14 MF Bangladesh BAN Maruf Ahamed
16 MF Bangladesh BAN Sohel Rana
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 DF Bangladesh BAN Salim Reza
19 MF Bangladesh BAN Mohammad Ibrahim
20 FW Bangladesh BAN Faisal Ahamed Shitol
21 MF Bangladesh BAN Mohiuddin Mohi
22 GK Bangladesh BAN Sarwar Jahan
23 DF Bangladesh BAN Monir Alam
24 MF Bangladesh BAN Dipok Roy
26 DF Bangladesh BAN Rabiul Alam
28 GK Bangladesh BAN Ibrahim Hossain
30 GK Bangladesh BAN Sabuj Das Raghu
32 FW Nigeria NGA Kenneth Ikechukwu
90 FW Nigeria NGA Mfon Udoh
91 DF Uzbekistan UZB Timur Talipov
99 MF Bangladesh BAN Nihat Jaman Ucchash

Coaching staff
As of 1 October 2023
Position Name
Head coach North Macedonia Jugoslav Trenchovski
Team Manager Bangladesh Md Habibur Rahman Khan
Assistant manager Bangladesh Md Ifthekar Rahman Khan
Team Leader Bangladesh Md Fakhruddin
Trainer Bangladesh Abdul Baten Komol
Goalkeeping coach Bangladesh Md Humayen Kabir
Interpreter Bangladesh Md Maruf Kazi
Physiotherapist Bangladesh Buphal Kanei Ray
Masseur Bangladesh Md Shamim

Management

Board of directors

As of March 2022.[18][19][20]

Position Name
President Sayem Sobhan Anvir
Vice-president Naem Nizam

Imdadul Haque Milon

Senior vice-president Liaquat Ali Khan
Sporting director Saleh Jaman Selim
Directo In Charge Ismat Jamil Akhond
Director of Finance Md. Fakhruddin

Team records

Head coach's record
As of 22 July 2023
Head Coach Nat. From To P W D L GS GA %W
Wazed Gazi Bangladesh 18 January 2007[21] — 0 0 0 0 0 0 !—
Kamal Babu Bangladesh 27 August 2009[22] — 0 0 0 0 0 0 !—
Mahmudul Haque Liton Bangladesh December 2010[23] June 2011 0 0 0 0 0 0 !—
Maruful Haque Bangladesh September 2011 15 April 2014 73 45 12 16 130 61 061.64
Dragan Đukanović Montenegro 21 April 2014[24] 20 May 2015 40 16 10 14 60 44 040.00
Maruful Haque Bangladesh 3 June 2015 26 August 2016 28 12 5 11 46 40 042.86
Shafiqul Islam Manik Bangladesh 27 August 2016[25] 3 February 2018 44 14 15 15 46 42 031.82
Saiful Bari Titu Bangladesh October 2018[26] 13 March 2022 84 41 16 27 118 85 048.81
Zulfiker Mahmud Mintu Bangladesh 14 March 2022[27] 19 August 2023 45 21 12 12 80 61 046.67
Jugoslav Trenchovski North Macedonia 20 August 2023[28] Present 0 0 0 0 0 0 !—

AFC club ranking
As of 11 June 2023[29]
RankingTeamPoints
356Macau SL Benfica de Macau52.0
357Singapore Balestier Khalsa FC52.0
358Bangladesh Sheikh Russel KC54.0
359Vietnam Nam Dinh FC52.0
360Oman Oman Club FC51.0

World club ranking
As of 11 June 2023[30]
RankingTeamPoints
1960Uruguay Racing Club de Montevideo51.75
1961The Gambia Brikama United FC51.70
1962Bangladesh Sheikh Russel KC51.68
1963Seychelles Light Stars FC51.65
1964Greece Levadiakos FC51.62

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors
Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2018–present Cosco Bashundhara Cement

Honours

Winners
2012–13
2012
2012–13

Runners-up
2014–15
2003–04
2002
2012–13
2011, 2018–19

Performance in AFC competitions
Season Competition Round Club Score
2014 AFC President's Cup Group stage Pakistan KRL 0–0
Sri Lanka Air Force 5–0
Bhutan Ugyen Academy 4–0
Final stage Mongolia Erchim 1–0
North Korea Rimyongsu 0–4
2015 AFC Cup Preliminary stage Tajikistan Khayr Vahdat 0–1
2017 AFC Cup Qualifying round Taiwan Tatung 1–1
Bhutan F.C. Terton 3–4

Affiliated clubs

The following club is currently affiliated with Sheikh Russel KC:

References
  1. "Bashundhara Kings Arena set for historic debut". The Daily Star. 17 February 2022. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  2. Schöggl, Hans (2004). "Bangladesh 2004: Fourth National Football League". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023.
  3. "Grand reception for Sheikh Russel KC". Bashundhara Group. 18 August 2015. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  4. "Venue". Sheikh Russel KC. 2021.
  5. "Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra pays tribute to Bangabandhu". The Independent. Dhaka. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  6. Reporter, Sports (4 April 2013). "Team ethic breeds Russel success". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 4 August 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  7. পাতানো ম্যাচের কলঙ্কমুক্ত লিগ. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  8. Rahman, Anisur (27 December 2018). "Kings still unsatisfied after lifting Independence Cup". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  9. "Sheikh Russel KC lose 0-1 to FC Khayr of Tajikistan". The New Nation. Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  10. "Sheikh Russel held by Tatung". The Daily Star. 24 August 2016. Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  11. Rahman, Anisur (26 June 2013). "Mohammedan complete underdog fairytale". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 4 August 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  12. "Russel creates history in AFC President's Cup". Dhaka Tribune. 11 May 2014. Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  13. "Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra starts new journey". Daily Sun. Archived from the original on 18 February 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  14. "Sheikh Russel to clear FIFA fine". The Daily Star. 23 July 2017. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  15. প্রতিবেদক, ক্রীড়া. "এএফসি ক্লাব লাইসেন্স পেল বাংলাদেশের চার ক্লাব". Prothomalo. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  16. "তারকাবহুল দল নিয়েও কেন সাফল্য পাচ্ছে না শেখ রাসেল?". 19 January 2022. Archived from the original on 14 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  17. "টিটুকে বরখাস্ত করল শেখ রাসেল". Jugantor. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  18. "চূড়ান্ত হলো শেখ রাসেল ক্রীড়া চক্রের ৩০ পরিচালকের পদ". Daily Sports BD (in Bengali). Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  19. "শেখ রাসেল ক্রীড়া চক্রের প্রথম বৈঠক অনুষ্ঠিত | কালের কণ্ঠ". Kalerkantho (in Bengali). 29 January 2022. Archived from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
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  21. "Gazi belongs to Russel". The Daily Star. 18 January 2007. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  22. "Russel stick to youth". The Daily Star. 27 August 2009. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  23. কষ্টে জিতল শেখ রাসেল. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 31 December 2010. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019.
  24. প্রেসিডেন্ট কাপ মিশনে দেশ ছাড়ছে রাসেল. Banglanews24.com (in Bengali). 3 May 2014. Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  25. "Manik all set for Sk Russel post". Dhaka Tribune. 27 August 2016. Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  26. "Sheikh Russel register heavyweight team". Daily Sun. Archived from the original on 26 December 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  27. "বরখাস্ত হলেন শেখ রাসেলের কোচ ও ম্যানেজার!". Daily Offside Bangladesh (in Bengali). 13 March 2022. Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  28. "শেখ রাসেলের কোচ বদল". www.dhakapost.com (in Bengali). 20 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  29. "AFC club rankings". footballalphabet.com. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  30. "World club rankings". footballalphabet.com. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  31. "East Bengal: ফুটবলের উন্নয়নে শেখ রাসেল ক্রীড়াচক্রের সঙ্গে কাজ করবে ইস্টবেঙ্গল". www.anandabazar.com (in Bengali). Anandabazar Patrika. 16 March 2022. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  32. Chakraborty, Swapnomoy (16 March 2022). "East Bengal sign strategic partnership with Bangladesh side Sheikh Russel". Khel Now. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
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