Bangladesh-based football media platform Plaantik has published the first-of-its-kind book as an anthology on Bangladesh's unique football culture.
Titled 'Plaantik: An Anthology of Bangladesh's Football Culture,' the book boasts a star-studded list of authors, including Bangladesh men's and women's national team captains Jamal Bhuyan and Sabina Khatun respectively, British Bangladeshi Hamza Choudhury who plays for English club Watford, on loan from Leicester City, alongside other prominent British Bangladeshis Anwar Uddin MBE and Reshmin Chowdhury, and many more.
Other authors include influential names sharing their football anecdotes and stories from the perspective of general football fans across Bangladesh.
The nearly 300-page book is a collection of true football stories from the authors' perspective providing a gateway to understanding Bangladesh's football culture.
"From the glory days of domestic football of the 1980s to the age-old Brazil-Argentina rivalry, from our distinctive way of celebrating World Cups to the fandom around club football, Bangladesh has formed its own unique football DNA that covers the streets of Dhaka to the rural parts of the country," said Abir Ahmed Chowdhury, co-founder of Plaantik, upon the launch of the book.
"We wanted to tell these stories through the book," he continued, "in such a way that a Bangladeshi football fan reading this would find it informative and nostalgic, while for others, it will be a portal to experience football in Bangladesh through a different lens."
Established in 2011, Plaantik has built a community of hundreds of thousands of followers online, produces original material, and curates top football content for the world. From daily football updates to internet documentaries to in-person events, Plaantik aims to provide a 360-experience for modern football fans.
Tawsif Akkas, a co-founder of Plaantik, believes the book to be an important milestone for Plaantik.
"Publishing a book to tell football stories is a substantial landmark for Plaantik because we have primarily been creating original content for the internet over the decade."
"This not only helps us diversify our audience and build credibility, but we believe the book will also allow us to build a bridge between Bangladesh football and the rest of the world. It's an incredible achievement for Plaantik to be able to facilitate this," Tawsif remarked.
The book will be officially launched on November 24, with pre-orders available now. Visit plaantik.com/book for pre-order