Wednesday morning saw a flurry of activity at the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) premises as former footballers and organisers began their campaigns. The sale of nomination forms commenced at 10 am. So far, no forms for the presidential post have been sold, but forms for one senior vice-president, three vice-presidents, and over 15 members have been purchased.
Tabith Awal, the former vice-president of BFF, has declared his candidacy for president but has stated he will not collect his nomination papers today. Although no presidential nominations have been sold yet, current vice-president Imrul Hasan has collected a form for the senior vice-president position.
Former BFF member and national footballer Iqbal Hossain has collected nominations for both member and vice-president positions. Fahad Karim, owner of the event management firm K Sports, has also taken a form for vice-president. Many have collected membership forms, but some may wait a few days before deciding to run for vice-president.
Current executive committee members Zakir Hossain Chowdhury, Mahfuza Akhter Kiran, and Tipu Sultan have been nominated again. Imtiaz Hamid Sabuj, Satyajit Das Rupu, Ameer Khan, and Mahidur Rahman Miraj have also visited BFF Bhavan to collect nomination papers.
Former national footballer Golam Ghaus is the only new face in today's nominations for membership. He is participating in the BFF elections for the first time, having been elected as a councillor this year. Ghaus, now a councillor for the Narayanganj District Football Association, aims to restore Narayanganj's football glory by being elected to BFF.
Zakir Hossain Chowdhury, who received the most votes for membership in the current BFF committee, is confident of winning again, citing his active participation in federation activities over the past four years.
Sirajganj District Football Association President Kamrul Islam Hilton, who was on Kazi Salahuddin's panel last time, is running independently this time. Despite not winning previously, he is optimistic about his chances, having maintained contact with voters since the last election.
Other candidates include Amirul Islam Babu, who lost the vice-president race last time, Sakhawat Hossain Bhuiyan Shaheen of Nofel Sporting, and Tasmin Rezwana, wife of the former BFF general secretary banned by FIFA.
Nomination papers for the BFF elections will be available tomorrow and on October 12 from 10 am to 5 pm. The fees are taka one lakh for president, taka 75 thousand for senior vice-president, taka 50 thousand for vice-president (4 positions), and 25 taka thousand for member (15 positions).
