Kazi Salahuddin era ends as Tabith Awal elected new BFF president

It has been confirmed that Kazi Salahuddin will no longer serve as the President of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF). On September 14, he announced that elections would not be held, marking the end of his long 16-year 'reign.' Although the conclusion of Salahuddin's era was certain, there was much speculation about who would succeed him. Today, that speculation came to an end. The era of Salahuddin at the BFF has officially concluded, with Tabith Aowal elected as the new president for a four-year term.

In a voting session that lasted four hours at a hotel in the capital, Aowal decisively defeated grassroots organiser A F M Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury from Dinajpur. Both candidates contested for the presidential position. Having served two terms as vice-president, Tabith received 123 votes, while Mizanur managed only 5 votes. The results were announced by Chief Election Commissioner Mejbah Uddin Ahmed at around 6:30 PM.

After being elected as BFF President, Tabith said, "In this free Bangladesh, thanks to the revolutionary contributions of the student masses during June, July, and August, I express my gratitude to all of you today. I also extend my thanks to all our fans, to football enthusiasts in Bangladesh, for re-electing us today through the media.''

When asked if the task feels challenging, Tabith stated, "With the delegates electing us six members and entrusting us with this responsibility, in a few hours, 15 more will join us. Looking at this team, I feel that nothing is challenging for us. We will meet the public's demands promptly."

There are a total of 21 positions in the BFF Executive Committee, with 46 candidates vying for these roles. Two individuals contested for the presidency. Imrul Hasan was elected unopposed as senior vice-president, so there was no election for that position. Six candidates contested for four vice-president positions. Additionally, 37 individuals competed for 15 executive member positions. Out of 133 councillors, 128 cast their votes.

Naser Shahriar Zahedi has been elected as vice-president with the highest number of votes, securing 115 votes. Wahid Uddin Chowdhury Happy (108 votes), Sabbir Ahmed Aref (90 votes), and Fahad Mohammad Ahmed Karim (87 votes) have also been elected to the same post.

Former footballers Syed Rumman Bin Wali Sabbir and Shafiqul Islam Manik, who contested for the vice-president post, lost in the race. Sabbir received 66 votes, while Manik secured 42 votes. A total of 128 votes were cast for the vice-president position, with one vote being declared invalid.

Salahuddin was first elected as BFF president in 2008, defeating Major General Amin Ahmed. He won the chair that time as one of the finest players in the history of Bangladeshi football.

In the subsequent term, in 2012, Salahuddin was elected unopposed, while in 2016, he was re-elected for a third consecutive term by defeating Kamrul Ashraf. In the most recent election, he again triumphed over former national players Shafiqul Islam Manik and Badal Roy to secure his position as the head of the BFF.