Domestic season pushed back again, national camp starts August 27

Bangladesh's domestic football season has been pushed back once more, with the Bangladesh Football Federation confirming the league will now begin on September 18, almost a month later than the original date of August 25.

The delay stems largely from FIFA's registration bans on Bashundhara Kings, Abahani and Young Men's Fakirerpool.

Abahani have since been cleared, but Bashundhara Kings still face five outstanding sanctions, forcing the BFF to repeatedly extend clubs' licensing and player registration deadlines.

The Challenge Cup, originally due to start on August 21, has already been scrapped entirely because of the same suspensions.

The Federation Cup has also been shifted, moving from August 28 to September 22, with matches to be held in Munshiganj, Manikganj, Gopalganj and at Dhaka's National Stadium.

Clubs now face a fresh headache, however, with the revised calendar clashing directly with the national team's commitments.

The BFF confirmed on Saturday that Bangladesh will play in the FIFA ASEAN Cup, which begins in Indonesia on September 24, prompting a national team camp to start on August 27.

That timing means the league could be interrupted almost as soon as it gets under way.

Clubs had urged the BFF to structure the season around the international calendar to avoid disruption, but the federation reportedly intends to keep domestic football running throughout the national team's assignment regardless.

Not every club is expected to welcome that approach, particularly sides likely to lose several players to the national set up during the FIFA window, which runs from September 21 to October 6. The player registration deadline for clubs remains September 3.

Further disruption looms beyond the ASEAN Cup as well. Fortis FC are set to compete in the AFC Challenge League group stage in Kuwait from October 17 to 23, with the BFF saying the club's domestic fixtures will be rearranged once the league's first phase concludes.

Domestic football then faces its biggest interruption of all when Bangladesh host the SAFF Championship at the National Stadium in Dhaka from November 4 to 17, squeezing an already congested season further.