Salahuddin rejects second-best award

Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) president Kazi Salahuddin yesterday rejected the second-place award given to him by Bangladesh Sports Press Association (BSPA) on the previous night.

Salahuddin, the former national team captain and coach, came second to cricketer Shakib Al Hasan in the BSPA event, hosted to mark the 60th anniversary of the oldest sports journalists' organisation of the country.

The verdict was made based on voting from a panel of judges, made up of former sports stars and sports organisers, who selected top 10 sporting personalities by taking into account their contribution to various sports in the country.

Salahuddin did not receive the award and left the venue of the programme instead of joining the winners on the stage.

On Saturday, BFF officials also boycotted media, whom they had invited to brief on an executive committee meeting.

Later, the governing body of the country's football issued a press release stating the reason for declining the award.

"BFF executive committee decided to reject BSPA's 'second best sports person award' conferred on Kazi Salahuddin, a brave freedom fighter, Swadhin Bangla Football Team's member, national awardee, Shaheed Sheikh Kamal National Sports Council awardee and president of Bangladesh and South Asian Football Federation," the press release said.

The press release added that BFF executive committee felt that the award was a farce, tantamount to insult of the War of Liberation, the Swadhin Bangla Football Team and to everyone related to football and the sports fraternity.

The BSPA event on Friday night also felicitated 1- sports journalists and writers while giving away a special award to Roquibul Hasan -- former national cricket team captain, freedom fighter, and a former president of BSPA.