It was a quiet day at the Abahani club Saturday after the traditional Dhaka powerhouse clinched their hat-trick of titles in the Federation Cup in the previous evening.
The players were given a two-day break and most of the local ones left the club for their respective destinations in the morning.
The four foreign players remained at the club.
Head coach Zakaria Babu came to the club in the afternoon to see the condition of Nigerian striker Sunday Chizoba, who sustained a head injury during the final before being taken to hospital.
Sunday said he still has little pain on the back of his head but hoped for a full recovery soon.
At this quiet ambience after a thrilling night suddenly the atmosphere became warmer as a small contingent led by Bayazaid Alam Zubair, manager of the runners-up side Bashundhara Kings arrived at the club with flowers and sweets to felicitate the champion team.
Friday’s Federation Cup win for the Sky Blues was very special as it was not only their hat-trick of titles, but also their 11th silverware of the tournament that made them the most successful in the tournament’s history, surpassing Mohammedan Sporting Club Limited’s 10 championships.
The victorious club were ecstatic with the achievement and Dhaka Tribune discussed with some of the key personnel regarding the success.
Satyajis Das Rupu, team manager
From team management to players and staffs, everyone wants to build a good team to fight for the championship and win trophies. It was not possible to form such squad without full support from the team management. Performance on the pitch comes later. Abahani proved again why they are the best. This win is for everyone.
SM Zakaria Babu, head coach
Abahani have the tradition of appointing a qualified foreign coach each season. This time they kept faith on me and I’m happy to repay the faith. The credit goes to the players. The main reason behind the scene however, is the organising efficiency of the club, and consistency. It was however, like a warm-up tournament. Now our main focus is the premier league. We must keep the consistency there.
Sunday Chizoba, player of the tournament and top scorer (6 goals)
We always stay together. We love each other, we work hard and we work for each other. The support is also adequate from the manager and the team management. That’s also my teammates that made Abahani what they are today. Never stay in part but always together. I think love and unity are taking us higher.
Sohel Rana, player of the final
What I learned so far is that there is no alternative of hard work. We work very hard in the club. Abahani also have a very strong reserve bench and when Mamunul [Islam], Jewel Rana and Saad [Uddin] return, the depth of the squad will get even better. I hope the team combination will get better in the upcoming days. Everyone is happy (with the Fed Cup title), now we are looking forward to the Independence Cup.
Waly Faisal, defender
Since 2003, I have played for Abahani for 13 seasons. We stay as a family at the club. The club provide an environment so that we can stay relaxed and take no pressure. There was the time when only Abahani and Mohammedan used to contest for the title. Abahani carried on the tradition despite the increase of more title contenders. The game is now faster than before but still now, each time we take on the field we play for the win.
