Ex-footballers demand resignation of Salahuddin, Murshedy 

Former footballers have expressed grievance over what they described as a dark era of football in the country and demanded that the current leadership of the football federation step down.

They made the demand at a protest meeting cum press conference at the National Press Club on Thursday. 

FIFA, the global regulating authority of football, has recently punished four officials of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), including its senior vice-president Abdus Salam Murshedy, on allegations of financial mismanagement. 

The former footballers expressed their assertion that Abdus Salam Murshedy has no right to hold on to his position at the federation.

They also held BFF president Kazi Salahuddin responsible for the situation, saying that such corruption cannot take place without indulgence from the top leadership. 

Among the former footballers, Dewan Shafiul Arefin Tutul, Ashrafuddin Ahmed Chunnu, Shamsul Alam Manju, Abu Yusuf, Kazi Anwar, Mohammad Sultan, Rumman Bin Wali Sabbir, Arman Mia, Mahbub Hossain Roxy, and Biplab Bhattacharya attended the protest meeting, moderated by Abdul Ghaffar. 

Regarding the meeting, Abdul Gaffar said the top two BFF leaders have glorious backgrounds in professional football, but their misdeeds are now leading to bans and fines on other federation staff. 

“The BFF has been turned into a corruption hub. The country’s football is not on the right track, and we are at the bottom of the FIFA ranking. We feel ashamed when we see these… we have gathered here to protest these,” he said. 

Referring to the FIFA punishment, he said, “The BFF president and senior vice-president lost their ethical ground to continue in their positions. They should step down in the interest of football.” 

On 23 May, the FIFA slapped Abdus Salam Murshedy with a fine of CHF 10,000, equivalent to nearly Tk 1.3 million, due to his involvement in irregularities related to the financial management of funds. 

As head of the BFF finance committee, Salam Murshedy was found guilty of providing false information, issuing faulty purchase orders, and presenting false documents during the procurement and payment processes.

On the same charges, a former BFF general secretary, Abu Nayeem Shohag, was banned from taking part in any football-related activities for a duration of three years and ordered to pay a fine amounting to CHF 20,000.

Abu Hossain, former chief financial officer of the BFF, and Mizanur Rahman, former operations manager of the BFF, were banned from any football-related activities for a duration of two years and ordered to pay individual fines amounting to CHF 10,000.

Besides, Imrul Hasan Sharif, procurement and store officer of the BFF, was ordered to undergo compliance training provided by FIFA and issued with a warning with respect to his future conduct.

According to FIFA, the decisions were taken following separate hearings and upon careful analysis, in each of the applicable proceedings, of both the evidence provided before the adjudicatory chamber and the evidence collected during the investigations conducted by the investigatory chamber. 

The adjudicatory chamber was comfortably satisfied that the particular individuals were involved with and/or participated in a number of transactions supported with false and/or falsified documentation, which were paid, or expected to be paid, with FIFA funds, it noted. 

Earlier in 2023, FIFA had imposed a two-year ban and financial penalty on BFF general secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag for falsifying documents. It, however, did not provide any decision on Abdus Salam Murshedy then.