Hunkar becomes official boot partner of BFF youth teams, referee kit partner

Bangladeshi football brand Hunkar has signed an agreement with the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) to become the official boot partner of BFF youth teams and referee kit partner of the federation. Under the agreement, Hunkar will supply football boots and gear to BFF’s age-level teams, including both men’s and women’s teams, while providing kits and jerseys for referees. Md. Wahid Uddin Chowdhury (Happy), vice president of BFF and chairman of its Referee Committee, signed the agreement on behalf of the federation. Sher A. Mohammad Tabib, founder and CEO of Hunkar, represented the company at the signing ceremony. Also present were Sabbir Ahmed Arif, vice president of BFF; Shakhawat Hossain Bhuiya (Shahin), executive committee member of BFF; Faria Ferdous, general manager of Hunkar; and Azmaine Mesbah, deputy general manager of Hunkar. Speaking at the ceremony, Happy described Hunkar’s involvement as a positive development for Bangladesh football, particularly as a local company enters into a partnership covering youth players and referees. “A company like this from Bangladesh, bringing football boots to the market in a new way, is certainly a positive and encouraging development for the country’s sports arena, particularly for football," he said. According to Happy, Hunkar will provide boots, shin guards and socks to players across BFF’s under-age teams, while also supplying referees with their kits and jerseys. For Hunkar founder Tabib, the agreement represents a personal milestone as well as a significant moment for the company. Tabib recalled how, at the age of 17, he received his first football boots after exchanging four Eid allowances and three months of his time. Dissatisfied with the boots, he later cut them open with a pair of scissors after playing a match to examine how they were made. “That 17-year-old is 23 today, and his company is signing an agreement with the Bangladesh Football Federation, Bangladesh’s largest footballing body. So, it just feels like a dream,” Tabib said. Hunkar’s relationship with BFF began before the latest agreement. The company initially provided football boots to players and coaching staff of the Bangladesh women’s national football camp. It later became involved with BFF’s “Next Global Star” programme, through which more than 50 Bangladeshi-origin players were brought from different parts of the world for trials. Hunkar announced in August 2025 that it would become the official boot partner of the Bangladesh U-17 women’s national football team. The partnership was expanded in September to include the Bangladesh U-17 men’s national football team. The latest agreement broadens Hunkar’s partnership with BFF to the federation’s youth teams and referees. “Our referees are a very crucial part of our game, so we are very grateful that we are able to stand beside them,” Tabib said. Hunkar describes itself as a Bangladeshi football brand created with the country’s football culture and young players in mind. The company says its designs, colours and stitching are inspired by the enthusiasm of a generation whose lives are closely connected with football. The company says it is the first Bangladeshi football boot to have been used in an international FIFA match. It is also the kit sponsor of Rajshahi Stars FC in the Bangladesh Women’s Football League and has expanded its partnerships into cricket. The BFF agreement marks another step in Hunkar’s stated goal of building a locally made football brand and contributing to the development of young players and referees in Bangladesh. “This is not mine; this is all of ours—Hunkar,” Tabib said at the ceremony.