Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan, the newly appointed advisor to the Ministry of Youth and Sports under the interim government, made his first visit to the ministry on Sunday. This young figure in the country's politics has a significant responsibility ahead. For the past decade and a half, political parties have maintained a strong presence in the country's sports arena. Following the resignation of Sheikh Hasina's government, there are now signs of change.
On his first day in office, discussions centred around how the sports federations, including the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), would undergo changes. Although Asif briefly mentioned that further discussions are needed on these matters, he expressed his intention to first consult with the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding the BCB.
Following the dissolution of the national parliament after the government's fall, Asif also addressed the issue of BCB President Nazmul Hassan Papon's absence. "The BCB president is absent. To run a federation, all its organs must function properly. The person in such an important position as the president is absent," he remarked.
Asif Mahmud intends to approach the ICC regarding the president's replacement. "We have spoken with the BCB directors. They will act according to ICC regulations. Additionally, we have asked them to consider appointing someone for the interim period," he said.
After a period of silence, BCB directors have started to speak out. Two directors, under the condition of anonymity, spoke to media outlets. One of them mentioned that several BCB directors would soon come forward. "The BCB is an organisation run based on elections. However, if the government issues any directives for changes in the BCB, we must comply. I don't think many directors will come forward publicly. If a meeting is called, five to eight directors might attend," he said.
One of the directors told the Bangladesh Post on Sunday that the advisor invited them and seven of the directors met him at the ministry.
After their (directors) discussion with the Youth and Sports advisor, the director informed that they just shared all about the ICC T20 Women’s World Cup and he (advisor) ensured them that the event will obviously held in Bangladesh. These directors include Mahbub Anam, Kazi Enam, Jalal Yunus, Sajjadul Alam Bobby, Iftikhar Rahman Mithu, Khaled Mahmud Sujon, and Akram Khan.
Another board director, speaking anonymously, emphasised the upcoming Women's T20 World Cup in October. He told agencies, "The board is still intact. We hope to receive guidelines from the government when the board meets with the new sports advisor. We are not worried about ourselves, but we have some events ahead, such as the World Cup."
In such a situation, according to ICC regulations, the interim government can appoint an ad-hoc committee to manage the BCB. After the change of power in 2006, the BCB was run under such an ad-hoc committee during the caretaker government. The ICC will legitimise such a body as long as there is no direct government interference, especially if elections are to be held later. The ICC will
not impose any sanctions on this issue.
However, if there is a risk of government interference, the ICC will investigate and take necessary action. Recently, the ICC banned Sri Lanka Cricket from November 2023 to January 2024 due to government interference.
According to Article 15(2) of the BCB constitution, a director's membership will be cancelled if they are absent from three consecutive board meetings without valid reasons such as physical illness or travel abroad. Nazmul Hassan Papon, in addition to being the BCB president, is also a director. Therefore, this rule might be considered in his case.
