Md Anwar Ullah: The election to the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has become infused with excitement when three former national booters for the first time in history have started fighting for the post of president of the country’s biggest sports organisation.
Against the incumbent president Kazi Mohammed Salahuddin two candidates, Badal Roy and Sahfiqul Islam Manik are contesting and that draw the attraction of football fans.
As there were some dramas staged with the candidature for president post that boosted up the excitement among the football fans.
The curtain of the first scene raised with the announcement came from Tarafdar Mohammed Ruhul Amin six months back that he would not to compete in the BFF election.
Tarafdar a high profile businessman, who had been warming up to contest for the post of BFF president, despite withdrew his name, told that he would have involvement with the election and Badal Roy declared that he would contest for the president post supported by Tarafdar and the organization of BDDF.
But some one week ahead of the collection the nomination papers of candidates, Tarafdar cleared it out that he would have no any involvement with BFF election as he also told it to the Independent that he would aloof from any activities with the election but to concentrate on his business.
However, the excitement exhilarated when Badal Roy announced that he would withdraw his nomination paper just before the last date of withdrawal but he did it after the time line of 5pm on September 13.
As Badal Roy submitted the application for withdrawing nomination paper through his wife after the timeline, his application was not approved, he remained one of the president candidates.
Because of the verbal announcement of withdrawing nomination is not enough to cover the FIFA, AFC and BFF rules, so now there will be three-way contest for the BFF’s president post.
Among the two new contenders for the president post, Badal Roy and Manik, the former (Badal) once was the national team’s colleague of Salahuddin in late 70s and now is also the vice-president of the executive committee led by his predecessor (Salahuddin).
Badal Roy, who was elected as the vice-president for last three times under the banner of Salahudin-Salam panel, this time threw challenge to his running president as a candidate for the post.
In the previous three times election, Salahuddin had to face two outside candidates and won creditably and once elected unopposed but this time he is on huge challenge from his colleague, as the excitement with the election proliferated high.
Meanwhile, it’s also a thriller that apart from 21 candidates of Salahuddin-Salam panel, rest of all 26 candidates, two for president, one senior vice-president (Sheikh Mohammed Aslam), four vie-president and 19 candidates of member posts are individual contestant.
All the excitement will end on October 03 when the election to the BFF will take place at the Hotel Pan Pacific.