From unpaid to unsafe: Bangladesh referees in freefall

As Bangladesh football seems to be going through a rejuvenation following the allegiance switch by high-profile players like Hamza Choudhury and Shamit Shome, the domestic scene is creating all the negativities through crowd trouble and referee assault.

A spate of incidents has occurred within the past month where referees were assaulted over on-field decisions by club officials, players and supporters -- both in the top-tier Bangladesh Premier League and the second-tier Bangladesh Championship League.

The latest of these incidents was a blatant assault on former FIFA referee GM Chowdhury Nayan by officials and supporters of City Club following their 1-1 draw against BFF Elite Academy in a BCL game at the Fortis Ground in Jalshiri on Sunday.

Video footage of the incident shows a number of people beating up Nayan as other match officials, and even some members of City Club, tried to restrain them.

The long-time BFF referee said he and his colleagues feel helpless in the current environment, with very little security being ensured to save them from such troubles.

"I have never had such an experience in my 18-year career. But this is becoming an increasingly common trend in local football," Nayan told The Daily Star from his Chattogram home on Monday.

Recalling the whole incident, Nayan pointed to the unsecured venues as a major reason for the increasing attacks on referees.

With the Kamalapur venue unavailable due to renovation work, the BCL is taking place in three venues: Fortis Ground, Bashundhara Kings Arena's practice ground, and Shaheed Barkat Stadium in Gazipur.

"The matches are being held on open and unsecured grounds, and there were only two police personnel there for Sunday's match," Nayan alleged. "Our colleague Jashim, too, was heckled recently at the same venue. Nazmul was assaulted in Gazipur a week ago."

A recent incident of physical assault of a match commissioner by a national team player following a high-voltage BPL match between Bashundhara Kings and Abahani put the focus firmly on the indiscipline in BPL matches. Although the backlash from the BPL incident has resulted in suspensions and monetary punishments of a number of players and officials, the incidents in the second tier continue to go unnoticed.

The issue of physical assault is just one aspect of the referees' plight, though. The fact that BFF owes a lot of money to the referees, accrued during the former committee and during the current one, makes the hardship of referees even more unbearable.

The referees had recently threatened to boycott BPL matches over unpaid remuneration before taking to the field at the eleventh hour following some last-ditch payment from the BFF.

But with no signs of a Referees' Committee being formed under the new governing body, and with the Bangladesh Football Referees' Association apparently turning a blind eye, there seems to be very little hope for the referees to get their grievances rightfully addressed.

A senior FIFA referee, on condition of anonymity, lamented the situation, saying: "Being a referee is a big challenge at the moment. The referees have to conduct matches with expenses from their own pocket, and then they get attacked. This is very unfortunate and a worrying sign for our football."

The widely respected referee also labelled the situation as a sign of "growing national intolerance".

"I think this has become a national trend -- taking law into one's own hands," he said.

"People do not show respect to law, and they try to show their muscle and political clout with these heinous activities."

Despite repeated attempts, concerned BFF officials could not be reached for a comment over the issue.