A year ago, thousands of football fans gathered at Birshreshtha Mohammad Ruhul Amin Stadium in Cox’s Bazar, waiting for the final of the District Commissioner’s Gold Cup Football Tournament.
Teknaf Upazila XI and Ramu Upazila XI were supposed to take the field that day. But the much-anticipated final never began.
Before kick-off, several thousand spectators broke through the stadium gates and entered the field. When law enforcement personnel tried to remove them, tensions escalated, followed by vandalism and arson.
The final was eventually suspended.
Nearly a year has passed since then, but the match has never been played. The tournament remains without a champion, leaving a simple question in Cox’s Bazar’s footballing community: why has it taken so long to complete a single final?
New tournament ends, old final remains
The same Birshreshtha Mohammad Ruhul Amin Stadium hosted another football tournament in the first week of September: the Upazila Football Tournament, organised by the Cox’s Bazar District Players’ Association.
This time, Ramu Upazila XI and Chakaria Upazila XI played the final at the same venue. Ramu won the title on penalties.
In other words, a year after a final at the stadium was halted amid disorder among spectators, another upazila tournament was completed at the same ground.
Yet the earlier final remains unresolved.
Those responsible for the Teknaf and Ramu teams at the time expressed frustration when contacted.
They said the teams had spent money and time forming squads, preparing players and making other arrangements for the tournament. But as the final was never played, the entire effort remained incomplete.
Jamal Uddin, manager of the Teknaf upazila football team at the time and currently general secretary of the upazila sports association, said they had spoken to the district administration several times about completing the match.
“We have repeatedly spoken to the district administration about completing the unresolved match. But even after a year, the game has not been held,” he said.
He said the issue was not simply about a postponed football match.
“A lot of money was spent on organising the tournament. As we could not complete the final, we suffered considerable losses. Sports organisers, players and everyone involved are disappointed about the tournament,” he said.
Why is the final still stuck?
Javed Iqbal, who was the coordinator of the Ramu team at the time, blamed the tournament’s disorganisation.
“In the tournament at the time, the inefficiency of the convener of the organising committee led to considerable disorder, leaving the tournament unresolved. We strongly demand that the tournament be completed,” he said.
He also fears that the unresolved tournament could create complications for the next edition of the District Commissioner’s Gold Cup.
In his view, starting a new tournament without settling the previous one would raise further questions.
A football match, therefore, has now become an unfinished administrative responsibility.
Two cases filed, Tk 26 lakh damage reported
The incident that halted the final did not remain confined to the sports arena.
Two separate cases were filed with Cox’s Bazar Sadar Model Police Station on September 14, 2025, two days after the incident.
District sports officer Md Alauddin filed one case under the Speedy Trial Act.
The case named Md Ibrahim Babu of Jailkhana area and Shafayat Hossain of Stadium Para in Ward 10 as accused. They were the contractors responsible for organising the tournament and selling tickets. Another 500 to 700 people were also named as unnamed accused.
The other case was filed by Sadar Model Police Station sub-inspector Rajib Pal over allegations of obstructing government duties and attacking police and other government officials. No individual was named in that case, with 250 to 300 people listed as unnamed accused.
However, little information has emerged about the progress of the cases a year later.
Md Alauddin, the district sports officer and a member of the ad hoc committee of the district sports association, said he had no fresh update on the cases.
He said the incident caused damage estimated at around Tk 26 lakh at the stadium.
According to him, different agencies gradually repaired the damage.
Will the final finally be played?
There is now another reason to settle the old final.
The next edition of the District Commissioner’s Gold Cup is approaching. If the previous tournament remains unfinished, it could complicate the start of a new edition.
Md Alauddin said they wanted to complete the match as soon as possible.
“Another District Commissioner’s Gold Cup Football Tournament is approaching. If we cannot complete that match, we cannot start another tournament. That is why we want to complete the final as soon as possible,” he said.
Advocate Md Yunus, member secretary of the ad hoc committee of the district sports association, also expressed hope that the tournament would be completed
He said discussions had already taken place on holding the final.
“We have decided to complete the tournament this month or by October,” he said.
However, the possible election of the district sports association has added another variable.
“There may be an election of the district sports association within a month. Whether it is the ad hoc committee or a new committee, the tournament will be completed as soon as possible,” Yunus said.
So, after almost a year, a tentative timeline has finally emerged for a match that has remained pending since September last year.
Football has returned to the ground. Will the final?
The successful completion of the second-upazila football tournament offers a striking contrast to what happened a year ago.
The same stadium again welcomed spectators. Two teams again played a final. Penalties again decided the champion
This time, however, the situation did not descend into the disorder witnessed a year earlier.
Fahimur Rahman, coordinator of the organising committee of the recent tournament, said initiative was the key to successfully organising such an event.
“If the District Players’ Association can successfully organise such a big tournament, the unfinished tournament can also be completed with an initiative. We are ready to cooperate,” he said.
More than a match
The final is normally the most important match of a football tournament. It is where the champion is decided.
But in Cox’s Bazar’s District Commissioner’s Gold Cup, that decision was never made.
Who will be champions, Eknaf or Ramu?
Nearly a year later, there is still no answer.
What remains unresolved is not merely the result of a football match. It is also the recognition of the players’ efforts, the financial investment of the teams, the responsibility of the organisers and the conclusion of an important chapter in the district’s sporting calendar.
A new tournament has been held at the same ground, and a new champion has already been crowned.
But an old final is still waiting.
Sports officials now say they are trying to complete it by September or October.
The question is whether the match, halted nearly a year ago amid a crowd intrusion and subsequent violence, will finally return to the field.
Or will it remain in Cox’s Bazar’s football history as a final with no champion?
By Abdu Rashid Manik
Photo: Abdu Rashid Manik
