However, the government help will only lead to make football free of the government control in a bid to build a football-only pyramid, the ultimate goal of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) according to FIFA's latest prescription.

Talking at a press conference at the BFF Bhaban, BFF president SA Sultan said that the incumbent executive committee's history is not all failure.

"We have many achievements and perhaps, that is why the FIFA and AFC had the confidence in us to continue and conduct fundamental changes in our constitution for a professional and modern management of football," the BFF chief said.

The FIFA has recently decided to extend the tenure of BFF's controversial and expired executive committee, asking it to take necessary steps to make the federation a fully democratic institution based on statutes in line with FIFA principles and form a structure whose roots would be planted in local football in divisions and districts.

The deadline to hold the next election is April 30, 2008 according to the FIFA approved constitution.

"We have decided in our yesterday's meeting that we will try our best to follow the FIFA and AFC road-map for the development of the game and bring back its lost popularity because it is our duty and responsibility.

"The FIFA had approved our previous constitution and gave us time till 2011 to implement the requirements. But things have changed for reasons I cannot explain," said Sultan.

Sultan and BFF general secretary Anwarul Hoque Helal, however, both blamed different quarters for sending letters (some anonymous) to the FIFA and AFC with complaints against the EC members.

In order to implement the vision of democratisation, the football governing bodies of the world and Asia decided that the mandate given to the BFF will include the following steps:

A) To draft a 'standard statutes' for the divisional and district football association (FA) along the lines of FIFA standard statutes and to present this draft to FIFA and AFC for approval.

B) To form divisional and district FAs through constitutive general meetings at local level, to approve the statutes of these local FAs and to hold elections according to these statutes.

C) To call an extraordinary general meeting of the BFF at national level to amend the BFF statutes accordingly under FIFA and AFC supervision.

D) To organise elections at national level FIFA and AFC supervision.

The BFF has formed a five-member committee headed by Helal to look after the matters.

"With government help, it would be possible to hold an election within six to eight months. We will soon sit with the government and the National Sports Council because we are a part of it," said Sultan.

In reply to a question, the BFF boss told that the BFF will assist the FAs in case it does not get financial help from the NSC or the government.

"It is not possible to develop football without the contribution of the establishment. So we hope that the government will see this new step positively," he added.

Many believe that it would not be possible to avoid clash between NSC-controlled district sports associations and FAs and the concept of FA also does not fit in a country where football league is not played regularly in 64 districts.

Also, it was not clear whether any amendments in the NSC constitution would be needed or not.

"The FAs will be under direct control of the federation and the system can work with government help," said Helal.

"In fact, the FIFA has learned that a major portion of BFF councillors belong to district and divisional sports organisations that are controlled by the government. It wants the game to be free of government control. The officials of the FIFA and AFC have also told us it would be the right time to go for the change with a neutral government in power," he added.

To find the way out of a possible mess, the BFF must now convince the higher authority that the football chiefs are sincere to work this time, having failed to guide properly during its four-year tenure.