Saad's six-month ban reduced to 22 days!

Bashundhara Kings defender Saad Uddin's six-month suspension has been reduced to four matches after the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) disciplinary committee reviewed his petition on Monday.

Saad will now serve a 22-day ban, ending on May 24. On May 16, he was handed a six-month ban under Clause 45 of the disciplinary code for assaulting the match commissioner during the May 2 Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) match between Kings and Abahani.

Kings have already played three of their remaining BPL matches without him, with their final two fixtures scheduled for May 24 and 29.

Although Saad did not appeal against the suspension, he submitted a review petition, based on which the disciplinary committee made its decision, BFF General Secretary Emran Hossain told The Daily Star today.

One reason for the reduction could be Bangladesh's upcoming Asian Cup Qualifying match against Singapore on June 10. Last year, national coach Javier Cabrera excluded Tapu Barman, Anisur Rahman Zico, and Sheikh Morsalin from the squad for FIFA World Cup play-offs and Asian Cup Qualifiers against the Maldives on disciplinary grounds. Another source claimed BFF disciplinary committee chairman Mejbah Uddin Ahmed mistakenly announced a six-match ban, instead of a six-month suspension. 

The suspension was ultimately reduced to four matches under Clause 45, Article 1.A, which allows for a minimum four-match ban for unsporting behavior toward match officials. However, Saad's actions clearly fall under Clause 45, Article 1.B, which stipulates a minimum six-month suspension for assaulting a match official.