Arif Khan Joy


Arif Khan Joy is a Bangladeshi politician and a retired professional footballer who captained the Bangladesh national team.

Football

Joy played for the Bangladesh national football team from 2003 until 2008 and was a member of the 2003 SAFF Championship winning squad. He captained the national team during 2005–06.

Honours

Abahani Limited Dhaka
Mohammedan SC
Muktijoddha Sangsad KC
Bangladesh

Politics

Joy was elected as a Member of Parliament for the Netrokona-2 constituency in 2014. He was a member of the Bangladesh Awami League party. A former professional footballer and vice president of the Bangladesh Football Federation, Joy has been appointed as Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the first former professional athlete to hold a position in this ministry.

Controversy

Joy allegedly vandalized the office of a joint-secretary in the sports ministry in 2015. He was also alleged to assault an on-duty police officer, who subsequently filed a case against him in 2016, In August 2024 with the fall of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Joy was arrested in connection with a murder case involving the death of a grocery store owner in Mohammadpur, Dhaka. He was apprehended by the Detective Branch in Dhanmondi and subsequently placed on a five-day remand by a Dhaka court. Following this, he faced additional remand periods totaling 14 days as investigations continued.