Transfers deferred at last moment

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) postponed the inter-club players' transfer for the Bangladesh Premier League yesterday evening, just hours after issuing a press release that the one-and-a-half-month-long market would get underway on Friday.
In the absence of official comments from the BFF on the postponement -- other than the press release which cited 'unavoidable circumstances' as the reason for the deferment -- there have been whispers that the delay is designed to give the federation time to amend some regulations in the league bylaws which would give undue advantage to influential clubs locked in a dispute over top players.
In the lead-up to the transfers there has been disagreement among three clubs -- Mohammedan SC, Sheikh Russel KC and Abahani -- over booters Zahid Hossain, Shakil Ahmed, Mamun Mia, Nahidul Islam, Mithun Chowdhury, all of whom allegedly received advanced payment from more than one club before the transfer window opened. Consequently, all three clubs have been claiming those players for their respective outfits.
The league bylaws state that a club must obtain a player's signature on the registration and contract papers provided by the BFF and no vouchers and judicial or non-judicial stamps would be considered. It was learnt that one or two of the clubs involved in the dispute were trying to insert vouchers and non-judicial stamps as valid proof of player registration and payment, and that a section of the BFF was allegedly helping those clubs.
A source close to the BFF related that the yet unapproved bylaws of the 7th Bangladesh Premier League, and the yet-to-be-finalised neutral venue were the reasons behind the postponement of the players' transfers. However, reporters present at the scene witnessed an influential club official expressing his ire, to a BFF official over telephone, over the possibility of losing those players who were given advanced payment on vouchers instead of the BFF registration forms if the transfers began on Friday.
The question of why the federation has taken such a decision on the eve of the start of the transfers despite the date being finalised a month ago is a puzzling one, but no clear answers are forthcoming. BFF president Kazi Salahuddin and the chairman of Bangladesh Professional Football League Committee Salam Murshedy are abroad while general secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag could not be reached on his mobile phones.
The professional football league committee is supposed to sit on Wednesday to decide a fresh date for the players' transfers.