A Bangladesh Football League fixture at the Kings Arena on Friday extended far beyond its scheduled 90 minutes, lasting close to three hours due to a dispute over foreign player regulations. The match between reigning champions Kings and Bangladesh Police FC ultimately ended in a 1–1 draw.
The controversy emerged after Police FC’s Brazilian forward Paulo Henrique was shown a second yellow card and sent off. Following his dismissal, the club introduced another Brazilian player, Danilo Azevedo, as a substitute. This decision was immediately challenged by Kings captain Tapu Barman.
Under league regulations, each team is permitted to field a maximum of three foreign players at any time. The rules also allow a foreign player to replace another foreign player during the match, a point central to the disagreement between the two sides.
Police FC defended their action by citing a previous fixture on 1 May against PWD SC. In that match, after Brazilian Jonathan Santos received a red card, PWD were permitted to introduce Ghanaian forward Kofi Junior as a replacement, which Police FC argued as precedent for their own decision.
The dispute resulted in a stoppage of approximately 75 minutes while officials and teams debated the interpretation of the rules. Eventually, Police FC withdrew Danilo Azevedo from the pitch and continued the remaining 27 minutes with only two foreign players.
Despite the interruption, the match had already seen goals from both sides. Kings took the lead in the 35th minute through Dorielton Gomes, before Henrique restored parity for Police FC in the 53rd minute.
Match Summary
| Team | Goal Scorers | Key Incident | Final Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kings | Dorielton Gomes (35’) | Match suspended ~75 minutes | 1 |
| Bangladesh Police FC | Paulo Henrique (53’) | Foreign player dispute | 1 |
The result had significant implications for the league standings. Abahani Limited Dhaka capitalised on the draw, defeating PWD SC 2–0 at the Shaheed Barkat Stadium. Goals from Sulaiman Diabate and Shah Kazem Kirmani secured the win, leaving Abahani on 34 points from 16 matches, just one point behind Kings.
In another fixture, Fortis FC strengthened their position in third place with a commanding 7–1 victory over Fakirerpool Young Men’s Club. Pa Omar Babu scored four goals, while Onyekachi Okafor added two and Ananta Tamang contributed one. Fortis now hold 31 points from 16 matches.
The prolonged suspension at Kings Arena highlighted ongoing debates regarding the interpretation of foreign player substitution rules within the league, particularly in situations involving disciplinary dismissals.