They also became the first team to detach the football club from the main unit of Abahani Limited as per the guideline of the Professional Football League.

"In the 2001 and 2002 National Football League, no one considered us to be a force. But we beat teams like Muktijoddha and Mohammedan from Dhaka and drew with Abahani to finish third in consecutive seasons. This year, our target is also similar," said Abahani's newly nominated football club president Didarul Alam Chowdhury at a B. League presentation of clubs at the BFF Bhaban yesterday.

"We have a young team under a sincere coach. So we want to play good football and result would come naturally," he said adding that they have a handsome 1.20-crore Taka budget which can be increased.

"Our slogan would be 'sports is the unique medium of making harmony' among the youth. We want to involve more young persons in sports.

"We are also on the verge of making the deal with sponsors," he said.

Coach Swapan Kumar Das, who started training about two weeks earlier, thought that collecting good foreign players is important.

"The difference between the clubs is not much if you consider the local players. We will wait to see where we need players most. It looks certain that we will need a good striker," told the former national fullback.

"Our advantage is to have superb support. We have our own ground and facilities at the club tent (in Halishahar) are of high standard. So, our preparation would be better than many other teams. All we need now for success is teamwork," Swapan said.

Abahani, who won two Chittagong League titles since their arrival in 1980, have a junior team in the first division apart from training two age-level teams in the port city, which would be their pipeline of players in the future.

They have already contracted 16 footballers including Ashraful Kader Manju, Khokon Das and Nurul Islam -- all known faces in the Dhaka Premiership -- and in connection with India and Nepal for foreign recruits.

PARTIAL SQUAD: Kamal, Khokon, Manash, Dhiman, Sohel, Jitu, Borhan, Towhid, Manju.
JERSEYS: Sky-blue/yellow (home) and yellow/sky-blue (away).
COACHES: Swapan Kumar Das and Mohammed Ali (assistant).