New EC welcomed
The triumph of a 'mixed-panel' in the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) election was hailed by different quarters but too much expectation could put the new executive committee led by Kazi Salahuddin under pressure from the word go.
The 21-member EC will start its journey this afternoon when they take over from SA Sultan's committee and the first task would be to name a national captain for the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers in Kyrgyzstan.
Regarding the mountain of damage they will have repair in the near future, it would possibly the easiest decision the BFF will have to take in next four years.
However, they have to put their differences behind first to work together. With the two panels winning almost equal number of posts (10 for new chief Salahuddin's panel and 11 for losing president candidate Maj Gen (retd) Amin Ahmed Chowdhury), adjustments and compromises will have to be made for cooperation.
The good news was that the EC-elect spent busy times together yesterday. In the morning, they met AFC vice-president and FIFA development officer Manilal Fernando at a local hotel to discuss pending issues of the FIFA projects including the Goal Project.
It was learned that Manilal has asked the BFF to prepare a summary report and send it back to FIFA for its further attention.
Also on election day, candidates of both panels sat together in friendly atmosphere and at one stage, an opposition leader reportedly consoled one of the president candidates who feared defeat watching the trend of vote counting.
Everyone hopes this camaraderie remains when they are to sit in an executive committee meeting to take major decisions for the revival of football.
"I believe if they work together, they can produce many things for our football. Yes, I think nothing could have been better than this committee," commented veteran coach and former footballer Golam Sarwar Tipu.
"There are a lot of footballers in the committee including the president. We have criticised organisers in the past. Now it is time to see what the footballers do. They will also need organisational skill to run the show," added Tipu, who played alongside Salahuddin.
National coach Abu Yusuf, another colleague of the new BFF boss, welcomed the committee and said that Salahuddin has already talked with him to know about the national team.
The current footballers, who were eagerly waiting for results on Monday, also sounded happy.
"This is the best possible committee. I hope it would be able to fulfil the footballers' demands and establish their rights," said former national captain Alfaz Ahmed.
"With respect to the others (who have been elected), I can say that the players have always wanted the Salahuddin-Badal combination. It would be the ideal pair to take our football ahead.
"The presence of eight footballers in the committee is a plus point but everyone will have to prove their worth now. We feel they will make sure that footballers are not neglected in the coming days. I congratulate the winners and also the councillors, who have chosen to vote for the men who love football," added the striker.
"We expect many, many things from this committee because of its acceptability. Footballers and prominent organisers are there, so we are hopeful about a better future," said national fullback Hassan Al Mamun.
"However, there is also a dark side. If this committee cannot uplift the game, it will be an end for us. I don't see any other person outside this committee who can run the show better.
"All we want is to hold the professional league regularly, introduce district leagues and go to the grassroots. Also they will have to set a goal now to take Bangladesh to Asian level by 2020 or 2025.
"For players, bringing financial solvency is a must. Otherwise, the crisis will remain," said Hassan.
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