Abahani Limited Dhaka
Abahani Limited Dhaka (Bengali: আবাহনী লিমিটেড ঢাকা), also referred as Dhaka Abahani or Abahani Limited, is a Bangladeshi professional football club based in the Dhanmondi area of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The club currently competes in the Bangladesh Premier League, the top flight of Bangladeshi Football.
| Full name | Abahani Limited Dhaka | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Sky Blue Brigade | ||
| Short name | ALD | ||
| Founded | 1972 (as Abahani Krira Chakra) | ||
| Ground | Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani Stadium Abahani Limited Dhaka Arena (Under construction) | ||
| Capacity | 5,000 | ||
| Chairman | Salman F Rahman | ||
| Coach | Andrés Cruciani | ||
| League | Bangladesh Premier League | ||
| 2022–23 | 2nd of 11th | ||
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| Active departments of Abahani Limited Dhaka | ||
|---|---|---|
Football (Men's) |
Football (Women's) |
Cricket (Men's) |
Hockey (Men's) |
Badminton |
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The club was founded as Abahani Krira Chakra (Bengali: আবাহনী ক্রীড়া চক্র), through the re-organisation of Iqbal Sporting Club in 1972 by Sheikh Kamal, the eldest son of the founding father of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The club was converted into a Limited company in 1989. Abahani Limited Dhaka is regarded as one of the country's most renowned and well supported clubs. Since arriving in the domestic football scene, the club has formed a long enduring rivalry with the neighboring Dhaka Mohammedan SC, known as the Dhaka Derby.
Considered as one of the most decorated football club in Bangladesh. The club has won eleven Dhaka League titles, which was the highest tier in Bangladesh until 2006. Since the inception of the country's first professional league, they have achieved a record 6 Bangladesh Premier League titles. With 17 domestic league titles, they are the second most successful club in Bangladesh top-tier league history, with the first being rivals Dhaka Mohammedan SC. The club has won both Federation Cup (12 times) and the Independence Cup (2 times) trophies. They have also enjoyed success in both continental and subcontinental football, winning 3 trophies (Charms Cup, Bordoloi Trophy and Sait Nagjee Trophy) from India, while in 2019, Abhani became the first Bangladeshi club to reach the knockout stages of the AFC Cup.