Hockey federation high-ups at loggerheads

The Bangladesh Hockey Federation (BHF) yesterday failed to form sub-committees for the upcoming 10th Men's Asia Cup due to arguments between followers of vice-presidents Abdur Rashid Shikdar and Khaza Rahmatullah.

The Asia Cup is scheduled to be held in Dhaka from October 11 to 21.

Shikdar and Rahmatullah were the probable general secretary candidates of the scheduled BHF polls of August 27, which was suspended due to floods.

Following the suspension of polls, the followers of those two candidates have apparently come face to face in a bid to establish control over the federation's activities and meetings.

“We were supposed to form sub-committees to make the upcoming Asia Cup a success but the meeting could not do it yesterday due to altercations between the followers of Abdur Rashid Shikdar and Khaza Rahmatullah,” said general secretary Abdus Sadeque.

“Rahmatullah asked vice president [Shafiullah Al] Munir to include one BHF member [Ehsan Rana] as the secretary of tournament committee but tournament committee chairman Munir had altercation with Rahmatullah before I intervened to stop it.”

Sadeque said that the meeting could not form a single sub-committee and that he would try to complete it by September 7 once BHF president Air Chief Air Marshall Abu Esrar had returned home after performing Hajj.