Introduction

Definition

In interpreting these regulations and standing orders:-
1. “FIFA” means “Federation International de Football Association”
2. “AFC” means “Asian Football Confederation”
3. “BFF” means “Bangladesh Football Federation”
4. “BLC” means “B. League Committee”
5. “IFAB” means “International Football Association Board” – the Game of football as regulated by the Laws of the Game.
6. “Official” means all office bearers and members of various committees, sub-committees, managers, coaches, trainers, match commissioners, referees, Asst. referees, medical officers and staff of Bangladesh Football Federation and B. League participating clubs.
7. “ITC” means “International Transfer Certificate”.
8. “LTC” means “Local Transfer Certificate”.
9. “Levy” means “The amount of money payable to BFF”.
10. “Financial Obligation” means “Undertaking from the Club to meet its Financial Requirements”.
11. “Disciplinary Committee” means “The committee to deal with all disciplinary matters as governed by the BFF Disciplinary Code”.
12. “Player Status Committee” means “The committee to monitor compliance with transfer regulations of players”.

1. Name of the Competition and rights pertaining to it

1.1. The name of the competitions shall be B. League or any other name approved by BFF.
1.2. The B. League shall create a logo for its competition.
1.3. All marketing, commercial and intellectual property rights of the name, logo and other branding of the B. League shall be the property of the Bangladesh Football Federation and all revenues earned from commercial exploitation of such rights shall belong to the Bangladesh Football Federation.

2. Management of the Competition

2.1. The B. League shall be managed and controlled by Bangladesh Football Federation or committee or body to which the Bangladesh Football Federation delegates this authority. The decision of the Bangladesh Football Federation (or its delegated representative) on all matters pertaining to the League is final and binding on all participating clubs, their players and officials and all other persons and bodies related to the League.

2.2. The Bangladesh Football Federation has the absolute authority to decide which clubs shall play in the B. League. In season 2006-2007, Bangladesh Football Federation shall select twelve clubs from all over country to participate in the B. League as per the Club Regulations Guidelines.

3. Participating Clubs

3.1. The clubs selected by the Bangladesh Football Federation to participate in the B. League shall comply with the club regulations established by the Bangladesh Football Federation and enclosed with these rules as appendix 1. Failure of a club to comply with these regulations prior to the start of the season may render the club ineligible to participate in the B. League. Failure of a club to comply with these regulations during a season shall result in sanctions to be determined by Bangladesh Football Federation, including possible exclusion from the B. League for the subsequent season/seasons.

• Club Name (including sponsors inclusion). BFF must approve the club name and sponsors.
• Club Address, telephone number, fax number and e-mail address for official communication.
• Name, title and home address of officers responsible for management of the club.
• Name and address and contact details of Club Media Officer.
• Club logo, emblems and colors (first & second choice of colours for jerseys, shorts and socks). BFF must approve the club logo, emblem and colors.
• Club home stadium.
• Club training facilities.
• Name and coaching qualifications of Head Coach and Assistant Coach.
• Outline Club budget for the season.
• Commitment by club officials that the Club shall fully observe the rules of the B. League, comply with the club regulations, accept and obey the authority of the Bangladesh Football Federation and provide a guarantee that the club shall meet its financial obligations for the season.

3.3. No change of club colours is permitted during a season. When a clash of colours occurs, the home team must wear its first colors or otherwise decided by B. League Committee.

4. Format of the B. League

4.1. The format of the B. League is a two-round league format. Each team shall play every other participating team twice in the competition: once at its designated home venue and once at the designated home venue of each of its opponents.

4.2. The winning team in a match shall be awarded 3 (three) points with the losing team receiving no point. If the match ends in a draw, each team shall receive 1 (one) point. The number of goals scored and conceded by each team shall also be recorded.

4.3. At the end of the season, the ranking of the teams shall be determined by:

4.5. All matches shall be played in accordance with the Laws of the Game: All matches shall be played in accordance with the Laws of the Game laid down by the International Football Association Board and published by FIFA. Bangladesh Football Federation reserves the right to exclude any club from each edition of the B. League under any of the following situations:

a) If any club is found to have fielded a team of below standard.
b) If any club is found to have breached contract with the players, coaches and any other appointed officials.
c) If any club found to be in the fault of violation of any provisions/ regulation of the B. League.
d) If any club is found have not taken proper care of the visiting team with regard to security, training facilities etc.
e) If any club is found to have failed to submit the financial statements to BFF within specified time.
f) If any club is found to have violated the direction and instruction provided by BFF.
g) If any club is found to have been participated in any got up match.
h) If any club is found to have scratched for giving walk-over in any match.

4.6. Duration of Matches: Each match shall last 90 (ninety) minutes comprising two periods of 45 (forty five) minutes, with an interval of 15 (fifteen) minutes in between from the whistle ending the first period to the whistle starting the second period.

4.7. Abandoned Match: If a match is abandoned before the end of normal time or during any extra time because of unfit pitch, bad weather or force majeure, a 90 (ninety) minute replay must in principle be played the following day; if not otherwise decided by the B. League Committee.

4.8. Football: The balls chosen for the competition shall confirm with the Laws of the Game and bear one of the following standard qualities: -
# FIFA APPROVED,
# FIFA INSPECTED or
# INTERNATIONAL MATCH BALL STANDARD.

4.9. Team Bench: Only 7 (seven) officials and 7 (seven) substitutes are allowed to sit on the substitute bench. The names of all these persons and their function must be listed on the match starting list.

4.10. Substitution of Players:

4.11. A club must report to the Match Commissioner at least one and a half hour before the start of the match.

4.12. Protest if any, may be lodged with the B. League Committee with a protest fee of Tk. 10,000/= (ten thousand only) in cash within 2 (two) hours of the completion of a match. The protest shall be addressed to the Chairman of B. League Committee and the protest be disposed off within 72 (seventy two) hours. The protest fee shall not be refunded if the protest is rejected.

4.13. BFF shall award the B. League Trophy to the Champion Club at the end of the competition. The Champion Club is entitled to retain this trophy for nine months. The trophy remains the property of the BFF and must be available to BFF at all times and for any purpose.

4.14. To promote fair play and sportsmanship during the B. League competition, BFF shall award a Fair Play Trophy at the end of the season.

5. Players Eligibility, Registration and Transfer

5.1. All players shall be registered by their clubs with the Bangladesh Football Federation to be eligible to play in the B. League. Each player’s registration is only valid until the end of the football season, the date of which shall be determined annually by BFF. Where a player is contracted by a club for a longer period, the player must be registered at the start of each season.

5.2. Contracts between clubs and professional players must be for a maximum of five years.

5.3. Foreign Players:
A club may register any number of foreign players during every transfer window. But only 4 (four) registered foreign players may be fielded in a match. The transfer and registration of foreign players shall be governed by International Transfer Certificate (ITC). The registration of players must be on the official registration form attached to these rules as Appendix 3.

5.4. Registration Window: There shall be two registration windows to be determined by BFF.

5.5. BFF shall be deemed to have received the registration form for a player when it has been received by BFF, either in its original form or by fax followed by the original one and has been stamped with the official stamp (giving time and date) of BFF. The decision of BFF on the time of receipt of all registration forms shall be final. BFF shall charge Tk. 1000/= (One thousand tk. only) per registration to cover the administrative cost. The charge for foreign player’s registration shall be as per the existing provision of BFF.

5.6. The transfer of a player’s registration from one club to another must be in writing on the official transfer form (hereinafter known as the ‘Local Transfer Certificate’ or ‘LTC’). This form is attached as Appendix 4. BFF shall not re-register a player with a new club unless the registration form is accompanied by a valid LTC. The LTC shall be issued by the player’s former club. Such transfer of a player’s registration can only occur during the two registration windows (Rule 5.4).

5.7. For players who have played outside Bangladesh immediately prior to their registration by BFF, BFF must receive an International Transfer Certificate (ITC) before the player can be registered with the BFF and be eligible to play in the B. League.

5.8. Any club which plays an unregistered (or ineligible) player or players in a match shall be deduced three points from its point table for each match in which this occurs and shall be deemed to have forfeited the League fixture by the score line of 3 (three) goals to 0 (zero).

5.9. A club shall only be entitled to register a maximum of 23 (twenty-three) players at any time during the transfer window periods with the B. League/ BFF. But before the commencement of the season 2006-2007, the club shall register a minimum of 18 (eighteen) players with the B. League/ BFF. BFF shall provide a registration card (affixing photograph) for each registered player.

5.10. A player can only be registered for one club. The registration form first received by BFF (with BFF time and date stamp) shall determine the club for which the player is registered. BFF’s decision on such matters is final and binding on all clubs.

5.11. If any discrepancy arises about the status of any player shall be dealt by the Player Status Committee of BFF and an appeal may be lodged to the Executive Committee of BFF against the decision of the Player Status Committee.

5.12. On match days, each club shall provide a team sheet (accompanied by the player registration cards) to the appointed Referee and to the Match Commissioner appointed by BFF at least 1 (one) hour before the scheduled kick-off. The official B. League team sheet (enclosed as Appendix 5) must be used for this purpose. The team sheet shall designate the starting eleven players and a maximum of seven substitutes, three of whom can play.

5.13. The maximum number of temporary transfers of registration (loan) allowed to any Club in a Season shall not exceed three (3).

6. Fixture Schedule

6.1. The start and end dates for the B. League and the schedule of fixtures shall be determined by the B. League Committee.

6.2. BFF shall appoint a Match Commissioner who is the BFF’s representative at the match and has the authority of BFF to make decisions on its behalf in relation to that match. He shall have full authority, except for those areas reserved under the Laws of the Game for the authority of the referee. The responsibilities of the Match Commissioner are detailed in Appendix 6.

6.3. Club/Clubs participating in the AFC and FIFA matches during the progress of the League, their matches shall be re-scheduled by B. League Committee with the approval of Bangladesh Football Federation. Players as will be required to participate in the national team shall be governed by FIFA regulations.

6.4. No fixture can be postponed except by BFF or on the day of the fixture by the referee, as defined in Law 5 of the Laws of the Game.

6.5. Any club which fails to fulfill a scheduled fixture shall be deemed to have forfeited that fixture by the score line of 3 (three) goals to 0 (zero) and shall be liable to further sanctions to be determined by BFF.

6.6. The B. League Committee has the authority to reschedule postponed matches. All clubs shall fulfill (postponed) fixtures at the time rescheduled by BFF. Clubs shall be informed about the rescheduled match at least 1 (one) day before the match.

7. Referees

7.1. BFF shall appoint a referee, two assistant referees and a fourth official to every match in the B. League. BFF has the sole and complete authority in this regard.

7.2 The referees shall be appointed from a panel of referees who have attended the AFC Advanced Referees Course and have passed the full FIFA Fitness Test shall be nominated to this panel. Bangladesh Football Federation shall nominate a Referee Inspector for assigning match referees / Asst. referees / 4th officials.

7.3. BFF shall pay each referee, assistant referee and fourth official a match fee according to a schedule determined by BFF. If a match is postponed, after the arrival of the referee and his assistants at the venue, a payment of 50% of the match fees shall be made.

7.4. No club, its officials, coaches or players may approach a referee and attempt to influence him in efereeing a match. If any club, its officials, coaches or players are guilty of making such an approach, the club shall immediately be expelled from the B. League and it and its officials, coaches and players shall be liable to further sanctions to be determined by BFF.

7 .5. Every referee (and where necessary the assistant referees and fourth official) shall submit a written report (enclosed as Appendix 7) to BFF within 24 (twenty four) hours of each match. This report shall contain all relevant details of the match including goals, scorers, substitutions, cautions, expulsions and incidents, both on the field of play, in the stadium and in the dressing room area.

7.6. A club must not pay or offer any fee or remuneration to a referee or referee assistant nor shall it provide him with any gifts or incentives. Breach of this rule shall result in the offending club’s expulsion from the B. League and it and its officials, coaches and players shall be liable to further sanctions to be determined by BFF. Referees are obliged to bring any such approach to the immediate attention of BFF. Failure of a referee to report any such approach shall lead to his omission from the B. League panel of referees and to other disciplinary sanctions as appropriate.

7.7. Any referee who accepts any payment, inducement or gift from any B. League club at any time shall be expelled from the B. League panel of referees and be liable to further sanctions by BFF.

7.8. BFF shall appoint a Referee Inspector to each B. League match to assess the performance of the referee, assistant referee and fourth official. The referee inspector shall make an official report to BFF (enclosed as Appendix 8). These assessments shall be used by BFF to determine referee appointments.

8. Fair Play and Disciplinary Procedures

8.1. All clubs selected to participate in the B. League shall honor the ethos of football and be committed to participate in a spirit of fair play.

8.2. BFF’s appointed match commissioner shall oversee the spirit of fair play at each B. League match. The match Commissioner shall make a report to BFF (form attached as Appendix 9).

8.3. BFF shall draw up a code of conduct (enclosed as Appendix 10) which must be observed by each club, its officials, coaches and players.

8.4. BFF shall appoint a Disciplinary Committee of five members, of whom three shall form a quorum. On any matters brought to its attention by referees, match commissioners, referee inspectors or B. League Committee, the Disciplinary Committee shall have the authority to impose the sanctions or take other actions its deems appropriate as per the BFF Disciplinary Code. The Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee must be independent i.e. he should not hold any other appointment in BFF or its members.

8.5. BFF shall appoint an Appeal Committee of five members, of whom three shall form a quorum. The Chairman of the Appeal Committee must be independent i.e. he should not hold any other appointment in BFF or its members. Any player, club, official or referee who is sanctioned by the BFF Disciplinary Committee may appeal the sanctions to the Appeal Committee within seven days of the date of imposition of the original sanction and decisions of the Appeal Committee shall be taken as per the BFF Disciplinary Code.

8.6. BFF shall maintain a record of yellow and red cards awarded against each player and official.

8.7. Match Commissioner and Referees shall forward their Report and Team Sheets in the prescribed form to BFF to be received within 12 (twelve) noon of the following day of each B. League match, notwithstanding the fact that the following day may be a Friday, a Saturday or a public holiday. All cases of misconduct of players, officials or spectators must also be reported.

8.7.1. A player who is sent-off (receiver a red card) during a match (either a straight red card or two yellow cards) shall automatically be suspended for the next match. If the offence for which the red card is issued is of a serious nature, the BFF Disciplinary Committee can increase the period of suspension.

8.7.2 A player who accumulates four cautions (yellow cards) in B. League matches shall be suspended for the next match. A player who accumulates eight cautions shall be suspended for two matches and a player who accumulates twelve cautions shall be required to appear before the BFF Disciplinary Committee to explain why his registration for the B. League should not be cancelled. In such a case, sanctions are at the discretion of the BFF Disciplinary Committee. If a club accumulates 4 (four) or more yellow cards in a single match shall be fined for Taka 10,000/= (Ten thousand tk. only).

8.7.3 No club coach, player or official is entitled to publicly criticize the BFF, B. League, a referee or a referee’s assistant in the media. This shall be deemed an offence and the offending person shall be dealt with by BFF.

8.7.4 BFF may impose any sanction it deems appropriate in response to incidents brought to its attention by the Match Commissioner and/or Referee.

9. Facilities & Event Control

9.1. The facilities (stadia) used for all B. League matches must meet the standards set out by BFF in the regulations for clubs (Appendix 1). BFF has the authority to reject any proposed match venue if it does not meet the required standard.

9.2 In particular, the venue must have a good quality playing surface. The permitted dimensions are form 100 meters (minimum) to 110 meters (maximum) in length and from 70 meters (minimum) to 75 meters (maximum) in width.

9.3 The stadium for each match shall provide a safe and secure environment for players, coaches, referees, match officials, the media and fans. The home club is responsible for all safety and security matters. BFF and local District Sports Association (DSA) shall provide all assistances regarding this matter.

9.4 Each match shall be managed by the home club to the standard specified by BFF. Each home club shall have a general coordinator in charge on match day.

9.5 The Head Coach and at least one player from each team must be available to the media after each match for at least 15 (fifteen) minutes. If they do not attend he media, the team shall be fined TK. 5,000/= (Five thousand tk. only).

10. Doping control

10.1 BFF upholds the banning of the use of all performance enhancing and recreational drugs by sportsmen. BFF has the right to request a urine sample or conduct other tests for doping control purposes from any player registered with it for a B. League Club. Any player found to have used substances prohibited, including masking agents, in the FIFA/WADA list of banned substances shall be suspended immediately and for the duration recommended in the FIFA/WADA sanctions. The doping test shall be conducted by the authorized expert nominated by BFF.

10.2 A player who refuses or is deemed by BFF to have refused to provide a urine sample or to corporate with other procedures for the purpose of a doping test shall be deemed to have failed a doping test and to be guilty of a serious doping offence, with sanctions to be determined by BFF.

11. Finance

11.1 Each club selected to participate in the B. League shall pay an entry fee of TK. 25,000/= (Twenty five thousand tk. only) to BFF. The amount of such entry fee or levy shall be determined annually by BFF. The entry fee must be deposited to BFF 30 (thirty) days before the commencement of the League.

11.2 Each club shall solely be responsible for the cost of the venue for its home matches, the cost of its office accommodation and the cost of its coaches, players, officials and employees. Each club shall provide the projected income & expenditure statement to BFF ensuring to cover all their expenses for the season 2006-2007, prior to the start of the league. If BFF is not satisfied that a club can meet these requirements, it has the right to exclude such a club from the B. League. Every club shall submit its audited profit or loss account to BFF within one month after the end of each season.

11.3 Each home club shall be responsible for printing and sale of tickets for its home matches. It shall be entitled to retain the ticketing income after the deduction of the expenses due for the organization of the match. Bangladesh Football Federation shall be entitled to receive @ 7% (seven) of the gross ticket sale Proceeds as levy. Each home club shall provide ticket sales position to BFF within 3 (three) days after each B. League match.

11.4 Each home club shall make available 25 (twenty five) complementary tickets in the tribune or VIP areas for visiting clubs, which shall be used for the officials, sponsors and commercial partners of the visiting club. In addition, each home club shall make available 100 (one hundred) complementary tickets in the tribune or VIP areas for BFF, which shall be used by officials of BFF and the commercial partners of the B. League. BFF is entitled to include the provision of complementary tickets in sponsorship and commercial contracts made on behalf of the B. League.

11.5 BFF shall maintain a separate account for the finance of the League and shall provide a report on the income and expenditure on that account within 2 (two) months of the end of each season. BFF shall determine the allocation of any surplus revenue to the participating clubs and to other football development programs in Bangladesh.

11.6 BFF shall provide monetary prizes to the teams ranked first to fourth in the League according to the following schedule:

@ League Champions
@ 2nd place BFF shall declare the prize money after
@ 3rd place finalization of the sponsorship right.
@ 4th place This declaration shall be implemented
prior to the start of the League.

12. Commercial Rights:

12.1 Definitions:

12.1.1 Commercial Rights:
Commercial rights are all rights of commercial exploitation (in whatever form) and/or associated commercial opportunities related to or in connection with the B. League, including the Marketing Rights and the Media Rights, and all other rights of commercial value with regard to the B. League.

12.1.2 Marketing Rights:
Marketing rights are any and all rights of exploitation (in whatever form) of all types of advertising (including electronic), promotion, marketing, merchandizing, licensing, franchising, sponsorship, hospitality, publications, and any other rights and/or associated commercial opportunities related to or in connection with the event, including advertising (by perimeter signage and other advertising, including but not limited to printed matters such as programmes, posters, letterheads, press releases, newsletters, tickets and photographs), franchising, concessions, display, sampling, premiums and selling rights of any nature in association with the Event in the city and particularly at the Controlled Access Areas, the right to recognize promotional competitions, to give prizes, awards and official music. The Marketing Rights shall include the exclusive right to use and to sub-license the use of the B. League Marks.

12.1.3 Media Rights:
Media rights are all rights of commercial exploitation of the B. League in the print media format, included but not limited to newspapers, magazines and the internet, and the right to broadcast, transmit or display images and recordings of the B. League (or any part thereof) in any and all broadcast media now known or hereafter devised including, but not limited to, the Radio and Television Rights.

12.2 Ownership of Commercial Rights

12.2.1 BFF owns exclusively and on a universal basis all Commercial Rights relating to the B. League. BFF owns the exclusive worldwide right to exploit any and all of the Commercial Rights in any and all media, now known or hereafter invited and for any and all products and services throughout and for all territories and countries of the world.

12.3 Exploitation of Commercial Rights

12.3.1 BFF, as the exclusive owner, on a worldwide basis, of all Commercial Rights shall directly exploit all Commercial Rights in relation to the Event. For example, secure title sponsors and/or other official partners for B. League.

12.3.2 BFF shall be the contracting party in any agreement relating to the Commercial Rights and can freely subcontract or sublicense any Commercial Rights to any entity throughout the world.

12.3.3 BFF shall have promotional rights in connection with the B. League, for the purpose of the promotion of the B. League.

12.4 Delegated Rights

12.4.1Clubs are not entitled to exploit the Marketing Rights and the Media Rights relating to matches it is hosting without the prior approval of BFF.

12.4.2 Whereby clubs are permitted to secure club supporters (sponsors) with
the prior approval of BFF, any club supporters (sponsors), in any circumstance, can be a competitor of an official partner of BFF or B. League.

13. Matters not provided for

13.1 Matters not provided for in these regulations and cases of force majeure shall be decided by the B. League Committee of BFF, whose decisions shall final and binding on all concerned.