An ultimatum to BFF

Ex-national football captain Badal Roy addresses a roundtable meeting at the NSC conference room yesterday.Photo: STAR

Ex-footballers and organisers gave the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) an ultimatum of one week to take an acceptable decision about forming the district and divisional football associations with government involvement.
In a roundtable meeting at the NSC conference room yesterday, speakers agreed they were in favour of government's involvement in the game for the betterment of football.
The executive committee of the BFF, which expired last April but has been given a year's time by the FIFA to form DFAs and hold the federation election, has been trying to follow the FIFA directive to exclude government officials from football associations.
The game is backed by the government, which owns and maintains grounds and stadiums across the country.
"We ask the BFF to stop the current proceedings of forming the DFAs and sit with FIFA, AFC, the government and organisers outside the federation within a week to find an acceptable solution," said former BFF general secretary Harunur Rashid.
"BFF president SA Sultan has showed interest to sit with us and discuss the issue but he has been barred by his BFF colleagues," he added.
Senior sports journalist Manzurul Haque, who supported the concept of DFA, said that the BFF should explain the pros and cons of the idea inducted by football's world governing body FIFA.
Former footballers Kaiser Hamid and Nurunnabi both thought that football in Bangladesh has yet to reach a position where it can ignore the government association.
Former national captain and BFF official Badal Roy was worried about the recent altercation between BFF and the government.
"The way the BFF boss attacked the sports adviser following his (Tapan Chowdhury) remarks on the federation activities last week, it will only bring harm to football," said Badal.
"The BFF officials seem happy to be under the immunity of FIFA but we are not afraid of any ghosts. We want the BFF to announce the date of an emergency general meeting immediately," Badal added.
Abahani director Kazi Nabil Ahmed said that the gap between the BFF and the government must be bridged.
Mohammedan general secretary Lokman Hossain Bhuiyan told that the BFF should give football the top priority, not elections or associations.
"Nobody is trying to save football. The current committee has organised just one league in Dhaka in four years. This is not the way to improve the game," said former footballer and national coach Golam Sarwar Tipu.
Dewan Shafiul Arefin Tutul, a fullback of the past, said that by arranging the B. League (professional football league), the BFF has ignored the other competitions, virtually killing the lesser domestic leagues.
Ex-national striker Sheikh Mohammed Aslam and organisers Mubashar Hossain, Shawkat Ali Jahagnir and Nurul Alam Chowdhury also spoke at the roundtable.