Former skipper of Bangladesh National Football team and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) sports affair secretary Aminul Haque has accused sports adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan of directly interfering in the BCB board of directors’ election.
Yesterday, 23 directors were elected for a four-year term through an election held at a five-star hotel in the capital. In addition, the National Sports Council has nominated two more directors.
Afterwards, former national cricket team captain Aminul Islam Bulbul was elected as the new president through their votes. However, the BNP leader has accused youth and sports affairs adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan of acting arbitrarily to make Bulbul president. He also claimed that Asif Mahmud personally threatened several councillors.
Addressing the opening ceremony of the ‘Zia Volleyball Tournament’ at the Handball Stadium in Paltan on Tuesday, Aminul Haque said, “The main concern about the BCB election is government interference and the direct involvement of the sports adviser. There is evidence of each instance of his interference. I was shocked to hear that the sports adviser personally threatened various councillors and pressured them to vote in the election. Many councillors have called me, saying they were summoned and threatened in this way.”
Former national team captain Tamim Iqbal and 16 others withdrew their candidacies claiming that the BCB election was already “fixed”. They had also alleged government interference in the election.
They further claimed that the letter issued by BCB president Aminul, stating that nominations for district and divisional councillors must come through the ad hoc committee, was not valid. The matter eventually reached the court, but the BCB election was not halted. The High Court ruled that Aminul’s letter was valid.
Speaking regarding the letter, BNP leader Aminul further said, “The letter issued by Bulbul Bhai (Aminul Islam), which district and divisional sports organisers challenged through a writ, has initiated a legal process. Even though the election is over, the court has stated that a decision will be made after a hearing before the full bench of the High Court. This means that if the High Court declares the letter invalid, the entire election process could be annulled despite the members already being elected.”
At the same time, raising allegations of financial transactions in the BCB election, he said, “I have information that financial dealings have also taken place. It is extremely distressing that board directors can be elected through financial transactions. This creates a huge doubt regarding the future of Bangladesh cricket. I believe that neither cricket fans nor sports organisers will accept the entire election process and this controversial election.”