Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) convened its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on June 30th, amidst a backdrop of financial constraints and unresolved issue of compensation to players. Notably, a sum of £40,000 was reportedly spent on the meeting for the inclusion of four women's league councillors, despite outstanding salaries and bonuses owed to footballers.
Following the confirmation of these four additional votes, the date for the crucial Executive Committee (EC) meeting concerning the elections has now been set. A regular EC meeting will be held on Saturday, with the primary topic being the selection of an election date and venue.
While the current term extends until October 3rd, some BFF members propose concluding the election by mid-to-late September. Others, however, advocate for postponing the vote until the term's official conclusion. This upcoming meeting will essentially determine the timing of the election.
Even after finalising the date and venue, further EC formalities regarding the election process remain. These include issuing letters to districts, clubs, and organisations requesting councillor nominations, followed by the approval of these nominations at the executive meeting. This process is expected to take several weeks.
It is yet to be determined whether the election commission will be formed during the July 13th meeting or after the completion of the nomination process.
Traditionally, the BFF EC's tenure is four years. From 2008 to 2016, elections were held at the end of April. However, the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020 necessitated an extension of the then-existing committee for six months by FIFA. Consequently, the 2020 election was held in October.
The BFF EC comprises 21 members, including the President, Senior Vice-President, four Vice-Presidents, and 15 Executive Members. These councillors are elected through a voting process for a four-year term.
It's worth noting that former national captain Arif Hossain Moon resigned as an executive member in March 2023. Similarly, another former captain, Sheikh Aslam, tendered his resignation during the previous term, although it was not accepted by the EC.
This time around, the resignation of BFF President Kazi Salauddin Moon was accepted by the executive committee. It's important to distinguish this from a previous instance where Kazi Salahuddin resigned as the vice-president, but that resignation was not accepted by the Sultan-Helal Committee.
The July 13th meeting will address two additional, non-election-related agendas: approval of the previous meeting's minutes and miscellaneous matters. Discussions specific to the Professional League Management Committee will also be included.
