BFF polls on April 28
Football organisers hinted at a united panel for the coming election of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), which will be held on April 28.
BFF president SA Sultan officially announced the polls date yesterday at a press conference at the BFF Bhaban with acting general secretary Manzoor Hossain Malu beside him.
Although it was a BFF event, Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) chief operating officer Col (retd) M Waliullah and 'leader of the opposition' Badal Roy were also present.
Conveying the decision of Monday night's executive committee meeting, Sultan told that his colleagues have decided to hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on March 27 and the annual general meeting and the election on April 28, two days before the FIFA-given deadline.
"We feel that the complicacies that delayed the election have been removed. Now we are prepared to hold the election in time," said Sultan adding that the executive committee also approved that all the FIFA Statutes will be in order before the next election four years later.
The amendments, directed by the FIFA and AFC, in the BFF constitution will be placed for the approval of the EGM, which will be held with the old federation members including the district sports association councillors.
The BFF will then have just a few days over the required one-month notice period for the AGM and the polls, where the district football associations (DFAs) and the divisional FAs apart from the cubs will vote.
"Due to time constrains, the executive committee feels that there is no scope to give chance to form the remaining DFAs and the divisional FAs," the BFF chief told referring to the 14 districts and three divisions that have yet to form football associations after repeated attempts.
"After the election, whenever the FAs are formed, the federation will affiliate them to run the game properly in the districts," he added.
Waliullah and ex-national captain Badal Roy, however, requested the reluctant BFF boss to give the remaining districts and divisions an opportunity to form FAs.
"It would be better to involve all the districts and give qualified organisers the chance to be a part of the BFF. We also have to be careful about the legal side of all the procedures," said Waliullah, who was a member of the four-man delegation that visited the AFC president Mohamed Bin Hammam in Kuala Lumpur in February and this month.
Badal who along with his friends outside the BFF has long opposed the federation's stubbornness for not holding an EGM, said they did not need to run to FIFA or AFC.
"The BFF could have had decided on an EGM, which we had been demanding for long. The federation officials simply refused to listen to our pleas. But everyone knows that any amendment in the constitution has to go through a general meeting, which we are having at last after wasting a lot of time," said Badal, who is the 'leader of the opposition' according to Sultan.
"The districts and divisions should be given a chance. We feel there is scope for that remaining inside the law.
"Whatever happens, we want to stand united under one leadership and see a new and worthy executive committee in the future."
Badal's last words confirmed the rumour that a joint panel, possibly headed by a big corporate house owner, could be in the election scenes soon.
"We also want the congress (AGM) to take decision whether we can afford paid secretaries in districts in the coming term. We will try to convince the AFC or FIFA representatives if the councillors think so," Badal added.
There would be no election for five posts -- general secretary, deputy general secretary, the assistant general secretaries and treasurer -- that have to be appointed according to the FIFA Statutes.
It was also learned that BFF's latest proposal to the AFC includes to have 15 members in the executive body.
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