Season's most popular local football event will be played in a return league format between ten teams. All the Premier Division matches will take place at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium.

Country's top two crowd-pulling clubs Mohammedan Sporting and Abahani are both in action on the opening day against lowly opponents.

Defending champions Moha-mmedan will launch their campaign by taking on youthful Sheikh Russell Krira Chakra at 4pm and last year runners-up Abahani face Dhaka Wanderers Club under floodlights at 6pm.

Meanwhile, the ten-team First Division League, also sponsored by the USA based Western Union, will begin on December 18 at the newly built Bir Sreshtha Shaheed Mustafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur. Rahmatganj Muslim Friends Society will face Dipali Jubo Sangha at 3pm while Farashganj Sporting Club will play the second match against Mohakhali Ekadosh at 5pm on the first day.

This season's Premier League promises to be an unprecedented four-horse race with Muktijoddha Sangsad Krira Chakra firmly establishing their reputation as the best team in the country and Brothers Union Club roping in virtually the whole Bangladesh national squad in a bid to revive their past glory.

A press conference in connection with the leagues was organised by the Dhaka Mahanagari Football League Committee yesterday.

Chairman of the league committee Abdur Rahim informed that they were going to clamp down on the match-fixing syndrome with an iron-fist and for the first time in the history of local football, the detective branch of police will help them in this regard.

"Fixed matches are the main reason for the game's degradation in Bangladesh. That's why we are determined to stop this evil practice at any cost and the detective branch will assist us in finding the culprits," said Rahim.

Western Union has agreed to provide 25 lakh Taka for the title sponsorship and its regional manager Eustace Lobo said that they will extend their all-out support in future to promote football in Bangladesh if they get a positive response this year.

The league committee expects to earn a revenue of 30 lakh Taka from the Premier Division League said league committee secretary Mozammel Haq Mukta.

There was no restriction about registering foreign players but a team won't be able to field more than four overseas recruits at a time in a match.