East Bengal, Mohun Bagan & Mohammedan invited to Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup in Bangladesh

The tournament is a bi-annual event organized by Bangladesh Premier League side Chittagong Abahani Limited.

The big three of Kolkata, fondly called as the 'Tin Prodhan' (three leaders) in the city, Quess East Bengal FC, Mohun Bagan AC and Mohammedan SC have been invited to take part in the 2019 Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup in Bangladesh.

The tournament is organized in the memory of Bangabandhu Mujibur Rahman's eldest son, Sheikh Kamal, who is also the founder of organizing club Chittagong Abahani Limited, in every two years with the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF).

The inaugural edition of the tournament in 2015 saw hosts Chittagong Abahani Limited beat East Bengal in the final in 2015. Mohammedan SC from Kolkata also took part in the eight-team tournament in Bangladesh, finishing at the bottom of Group A behind De Spin Ghar Bazan FC (Afghanistan), Dhaka Mohammedan (Bangladesh) and Solid SC (Sri Lanka).

TC Sports Club (Maldives) are the reigning champions of the tournament who defeated FC Pocheon (South Korea) in the final of the tournament in 2017, defeating the Koreans on penalties.

The Chairman of Chittagong Abahani and Chief Coordinator of the tournament organizing committee Jb. Tarafdar Mohammed Ruhul Amin visited the Mohammedan Sporting tent on Friday evening to hold a meeting with Mohammedan Sporting General Secretary Jb. Mohammed Qamaruddin, where Jb. Qamaruddin have shown an interest in participating.

While Mohun Bagan seems to have agreed to participate in the tournament, there has been no communication from the Red and Gold Brigade regarding the same. All three teams are currently participating in the ongoing Calcutta Football League (CFL) and Durand Cup 2019 simultaneously and it is still a mystery whether East Bengal will agree to play the tourament or not.

The prize money for winning the tournament is said to be $50,000 (US) whereas the runners-up of the tournament will receive an amount of $30,000 (US). The participation fee for the tournament is said to be $10,000 (US).

The 2019 edition of the competition is likely to be held from October 20 to November 2, 2019 in Chittagong’s M.A. Aziz Stadium, where eight clubs from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Thailand will feature.