Kazi Salahuddin elected BFF president for fourth term

DHAKA – Kazi Mohammad Salahuddin has retained the top job of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) after being elected for a fourth successive term in a row.

According to an unofficial announcement of BFF secretariat, the former celebrated footballer has secured 94 votes while his nearest rival Badal Roy, who withdrew himself from the contest, got 40 votes. Another president candidate Shafiqul Islam Manik bagged only one vote.

The elective congress was held at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in the city today.Abdus Salam Murshedy, the Salahuddin led Combined panel, was elected again as senior vice president as he got 91 vote while his only rival
Sheikh Mohammad Aslam secured 44 vote.

To implement the 36-point manifesto, Salahuddin will be assisted by Imrul Hasan (89 votes), Kazi Nabil Ahmed MP (81 votes), Ataur Rahman Bhuiyan Manik (75 votes), who were elected as vice presidents from
combined panel in BFF’s Electoral Congress.

The fourth vice president produced a tie between Mohiuddin Ahmed Mohi and Tabith Awal as they got 65 votes each. The re-polls will be held in this post on October 31 at BFF Bhaban.

The vote counting of member post was continuing till the report filling on tonight. Chief election commissioner Mezbah Uddin Ahmed said the entire election was held in a free and fair manner and 135 out of 139 delegates casted their vote.

Salahuddin, one of the most popular celebrities of country’s football, was elected as the BFF president in 2008 for the first time by beating his the then opponent, late Major General (retd) Amin Ahmed Chowdhury.

The living legend of country’s football was again elected unopposed thereby becoming the president for the second time in 2012 and retained the hot seat of BFF for the third consecutive term defeating businessman Kamrul Ashraf Khan Poton in 2016.

Much renowned as a veteran administrator of the sport, Salahuddin was the vice-chairman of BFF in 2003 before becoming the chairman of the National Team Management Committee.

Earlier, Salahuddin-led Sammilita Parishad had announced a 36-point manifesto to take the “Bangladesh football ahead”.

Those included strengthening of the national team, transforming the domestic calendar and structure into fixed format, organizing more countrywide age-group tournaments and upgrading the infrastructures.

Salahuddin, was able to maintain the schedule for domestic fixtures regularly keeping football in ground round the year in his previous tenure.BSS