Brothers Union

Foundation

The club was founded in 1949 and the regal business tycoon Kazi Ghiyasuddin Ahmed, better known as K. G. Ahmed served as the founder chairman, while the former Minister of Education of East Pakistan, the late Zahiruddin and eminent journalist A. B. M. Musa were the first president and general secretary of the club respectively. At the beginning it was a well-known cultural organization. However, during the 1971 Liberation war, Brothers Union shut down all club activities. In 1972, a few months after the war had reached its conclusion and resulted in Bangladesh's independence, Saifuddin Ahmed Manik, one of the club's founding members, had his younger brother Shahiduddin Ahmed Selim recruit veteran football coach Abdul Gafur Baloch, with the idea of re-entering divisional football Dhaka.

In 1972, Gafur Baloch started holding trails for Brothers Union Youth team, mainly consisting of high school students in Gopibag. Throughout the 70s Baloch's youth team would open a pathway for many future national team stars, including the club's midfield linchpin Hasanuzzaman Bablu and also their best ever player Mohammed Mohsin. In 1973, Mohsin got a chance to play for the main team, when Brothers resumed playing in the Dhaka Third Division League after the war. The teenage striker scored 39 goals, including a hat-trick and a double hat-trick leading Brothers to promotion as undefeated champions. The following year, he scored 22 goals in the Dhaka Second Division League, as Brothers secured consecutive promotions again as undefeated champions, booking their place in the 1975 First Division.

During the early years of its rebirth, the club suffered from a major financial crisis due to the war. Although Brothers resumed all football activities in 1973, the first residential camp of Brothers Union was held at the 48 Ramakrishna Mission Road, Gopibagh, while the club was still playing in the second division league, in 1974. The four-storey building belonged to Saifuddin Ahmed Manik, and Selim who was given the team's captaincy, persuaded his brother to let the players camp in the two flats on the ground floor without having to pay rent. A stable source of funding was eventually provided by Sadeque Hossain Khoka, a former mayor and minister of Dhaka, who served as the club's general secretary from 1972 to 1979.

The Emerging Giant

In 1975, Brothers entered the Dhaka First Division League, and in their inaugural league game the club defeated reigning champions Abahani Krira Chakra 1–0, with a goal from Titu. The victory earned Brothers huge admiration from both media and local supporters. During the first phase of the league the club only lost a single game (to Mohammedan SC), and soon became one of the big names in the league. The late 1970s saw the club's attacking duo of Mohammed Mohsin and Hasanuzzaman Bablu establish themselves as one of best in the league, while few of their unsung heroes were left-back Noman Nannu, midfielder Abdus Salam and striker Fazlu, who were all products of their youth team. In 1978 the club finished the season as runner-up behind Abahani. In 1979, Gafur Baloch introduced teenage winger Khandoker Wasim Iqbal to the Dhaka football scene, who scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Mohammedan SC in the league.

The year 1979, was a disappointing one for the club, suffering heavy defeats in the Aga Khan Gold Cup at the hands of BJIC and the Afghanistan XI. Brothers had to wait till 1980 to enjoy their first major trophy success as they shared the first edition of the Federation Cup title with Mohammedan SC, after the final ended 0–0. Later in the season, they defeated the Black and Whites 3–2 in a league encounter, thanks mainly to their talisman goal-scorer, Mohammed Mohsin. This was also Mohammedan's only defeat that year, as they went on to win the league title. The first half of the 1980s saw some new faces in the team, goalkeeper Atiqur Rahman, defenders Shafiqul Islam Manik, Mazidul Islam Moni and Azmat Ali were regulars in the team. While midfielder Mosaddeque and striker Mahmudul Haque Liton soon made their way into the Bangladesh national team. In 1981, Mohammed Mohsin enjoyed his best top-flight season, becoming top-scorer with 20 goals.

It was later in the 1981–82 Aga Khan Gold Cup where The Oranges achieved their biggest success, by becoming the first Bangladeshi team after independence to win the title. They cruised through the group-stage, to face the tournament favourites the Oman, surprisingly winning 3–1, with goals from Wasim Iqbal, Bablu and Fazlu. In the final against Bangkok Bank, the underdogs equalised through Monwar Babu with the game ending 1–1, the two teams were declared join champions. However, the title triumph was followed by a number of setbacks, as long-term serving defender Shahiduddin Ahmed Selim announced his retirement and coach Gafur Baloch, also ended his decade-long career with Brothers. In 1982, the club's marksmen Mohsin was severely injured by a cracker while playing an exhibition game. In 1984, the injured Mohsin became player cum coach, and guided the club into making Bangladesh domestic football history by defeating Dilkusha SC 15–0 in the league.