FIFA warns BFF, rejects Sultan's resignation

FIFA has threatened to ban Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) from the international scene unless it holds the election under the new statutes within the one-year deadline given by football's world governing body.
The BFF yesterday admitted that it has received a letter from the FIFA mentioning that the world football body has not accepted the resignation of BFF president SA Sultan.
"The BFF president had sent his resignation letter to FIFA president Sepp Blatter with copy to our NSC chairman on December 16," said BFF's communication manager Sayed Al Fatah yesterday.
"The letter also says that the BFF must implement the roadmap given by the FIFA before the polls," said Fatah, who was briefed by the federation's acting general secretary Manzoor Hossain Malu about the letter.
"Even if one executive member resigns before the election deadline, the FIFA will ban the BFF according to the standard statutes article number 14," Fatah disclosed the threat carried by the letter, which was not made available to the press.
Fatah, however, could not give an accurate date of when the letter had arrived at the federation. Also, a document in hand confirms Sultan's tendering the resignation on December 15, not 16 as claimed by the BFF.
The BFF executive committee, which expired on April last year, has been given the responsibility of forming divisional and district football associations without involvement of any government officials.
However, the EC's tendency to go alone by avoiding popular demands as well as the BFF councillors, who have not endorsed the new statutes, have raised eyebrows.
Many have stated Sultan's resignation to the FIFA president instead of tendering it to the executive committee of BFF as simply an eyewash to avoid clash with the Caretaker Government. It is speculated that the EC is trying to stay in power for another term showing the immunity given by FIFA.
Fatah also informed that Sultan, who recently engaged himself in altercations with sports adviser Tapan Chowdhury and the media, sent a letter to the sports adviser on December 18 regretting his behaviour with the country's sports boss. The BFF chief, however, has yet to apologise to the media for his baseless and accusing remarks.