SAFF president is close to Awami League, so BFF will not campaign in SAFF event

Sports Desk

The SAFF Championship, the biggest tournament in South Asian football, is knocking on the door. And in just a day, the curtain is going to rise on this tournament in Dhaka, yet there is no joy or excitement in the country’s football arena. There are no banners and posters across the capital, no trophy unveiling or official press conference.

Behind this apparent silence outside the field, news of political polarization and silent psychological conflicts within the party are emerging. The current president of SAF, Kazi Salahuddin, is known to be very close to the outgoing Awami League government and a friend of Bangabandhu’s eldest son Sheikh Kamal. It has been alleged that due to Salahuddin’s continued position as SAF and the change in political landscape, the committee led by current BFF president Tabith Awal is avoiding visible campaigning in organizing SAF and has created various complications along the way.

Bhutan set foot in Dhaka as an international team on Monday, but no official information has been released by the BFF’s media department. There has been confusion about the arrival schedule, practice times, and tickets of other teams. The anger of ordinary fans has increased as the ticket price has been set at 1,000 taka, ignoring international standards.

Regarding the stagnation and disorganization in the SAFF organization, BFF President Tabith Awal, however, placed all the responsibility on the SAFF authorities. He said, “The SAFF office and their associates are responsible for this. You know the SAFF president, why isn’t the media asking him? We have a written agreement where it is clearly stated that SAFF will manage everything. Even the stadium has been rented by SAFF itself from the National Sports Council (NSC).”

On the other hand, SAF President Kazi Salahuddin also did not hide his dissatisfaction with Dhaka’s cold response and mismanagement. In a brief response, he said, “I myself am upset with the SAF’s arrangements. Who should I blame here? This has not happened before. I do not want to comment again.”

Sources said that the tournament has been managed by an event management company that has no prior experience in handling such a major international tournament. It has been alleged that this decision was taken due to the influence and internal conflicts of some influential officials of the BFF.

For those who remember the colorful SAFF events in Dhaka in 2003 or 2018, this scenario is very disappointing. Due to such a cold psychological battle between Salahuddin’s Awami identity and the current football administration, a major international event like SAFF is losing its familiar form and prestige.