Thinley Namgay  

Paro FC emerged as the champions of the BoB Bhutan Premier League (BPL) 2023, seizing the title and a cash prize of Nu 2.4 million (M) in Paro on December 9.

This victory marked Paro FC’s third consecutive win and their fourth championship since the club’s establishment in 2018. 

Paro’s  impressive streak of two consecutive unbeaten seasons came to an end in the final game against Transport United FC on December 9 at Woochu Sports Arena.    

Despite playing on their home turf, Paro suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the visitors. 

Transport United FC became the sole team to defeat Paro this season, resulting in a substantial increase in their prize money by Nu 300,000.  

Leading up to the decisive match, Transport had 34 points, with RTC FC in third place at 35 points. The match was pivotal for Transport, and their victory earned them Nu 650,000, while RTC FC secured Nu 350,000. 

Although Transport started the season strongly, providing tough competition to Paro FC, they faced setbacks in the mid-season. 

Thimphu City FC, the runners-up, received a commendable prize of Nu 1M. Prizes for teams in the 10th to fifth positions ranged from Nu 50,000 to Nu 300,000.

Paro FC attributed their success to a combination of hard work, team spirit, a positive attitude, and support from the club’s management. 

Puspalal Sharma, Paro FC’s head coach, was honoured as the best coach of the tournament and received a prize of Nu 100,000.

The most valuable player and highest scorer of the season was Armand Beadoum of Thimphu City FC, who netted an impressive 36 goals. Armand received a total prize of Nu 100,000.   

In comparison, Kazuo Homma of Paro FC, last year’s top scorer, recorded the same number of goals this year. 

The best goalie and young emerging player awards were secured by Yuya Kuriyama and Chimmi Dorji of Thimphu City FC and Ugyen Academy FC, respectively. Both  players received a prize of Nu 50,000 each. 

BoB sponsored Nu 3M to the Bhutan Football Federation for this tournament.