Silent on FIFA sanctions, but eloquent on the sari

FIFA sanctions imposed on former Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) general secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag and two other high-level employees over financial irregularities are expected to be the main topic of debate at the general assembly Annual Meeting (AGM) of the BFF on Saturday.

It was the BFF’s first general assembly since the FIFA sanctions and therefore presented the perfect opportunity for BFF advisers to ask tough questions of the federation and its long-serving president, Kazi Salahuddin.

But none of this happened as the quadruple president held another general assembly without incident in the presence of about 130 out of 147 councillors and is apparently preparing to run for a fifth consecutive term in the next BFF elections.

Surprisingly, revealed a club official who was present at the meeting and requested anonymity, the councillors were apparently more animated about one of the gifts they received for attending the meeting, a sari.

“When the councilors chatted among themselves after the meeting, many of them said they were not happy with the saree they received as a gift. They were wondering what they would do with a sari, they would have been better off giving her a football. »

Some councillors from district and divisional football associations have expressed their wish to receive financial support from FIFA funds to help football develop at grassroots level.

“The majority of councilors simply shouted ‘pass, pass’ for every motion while only two district councilors – Jashore DFA president Asaduzzaman Mithu and Narail DFA president Ashiqur Rahman Miku – spoke about district football and demanded monitoring and financial assistance to manage DFAs, but they did not raise the issue of misuse of FIFA funds,” the club official added.

During the two-hour meeting, only one advisor asked a question about the mismanagement of FIFA funds, which led to the sanctions that shamed the federation and Bangladesh as a nation on the world stage.

“It is not that there was no opportunity to speak during the general assembly, but none of the councilors, with the exception of one – the journalist and councilor Mozzammel Haque Chanchal – did not asked about FIFA sanctions and financial irregularities revealed by FIFA,” said another club representative who requested anonymity to protect his club from the wrath of the BFF.

“They (the councilors) are always very loud elsewhere, but they keep their mouths shut in the right places. They probably stayed quiet hoping not to color themselves. Chanchal asked why Shohag’s ban was not included in the chief secretary’s report and asked the BFF official to be more careful in future,” he added.

Fazlur Rahman Babul, a veteran organizer and former executive member of the BFF, was disappointed by the silence of councilors who he said should have asked questions at the meeting about the future of the country’s football.

“It is disappointing that none of the advisors have raised questions about FIFA sanctions for two years in a row for financial reasons. This is a strong warning for the BFF to follow the right path,” Babul told The Daily Star.

“I think the advisors are waiting to receive rewards before the BFF elections, that’s why they didn’t ask questions about the financial irregularities revealed by FIFA.”

In April 2023, FIFA’s independent ethics committee sanctioned Shohag for two years for financial irregularities and the same committee sanctioned a further ban on Shohag in May this year alongside BFF CFO Abu Hossain and director of Mizanur Rahman operations. BFF senior vice president and head of the financial committee Abdus Salam Murshedy was also financially sanctioned by FIFA.

The term of the current BFF Executive Committee will end on October 3rd and it seems that the committee is preparing to hold the next BFF elections in mid-September. The date of the next BFF elections could be decided at the next EC meeting.