BFF removes four delegates from voters’ list

The Bangladesh Football Federation's (BFF) mitigation committee, responsible for resolving delegate-nomination complexities for the upcoming elections, has cancelled the voting rights of four delegates. This decision came after the committee examined documents and interviewed both plaintiffs and defendants.

Feni, Sherpur, Gopalganj, and Lalmonirhat are the four football associations that lost their voters as well as their voting rights for the upcoming BFF elections on October 26, as seven objections were raised after the BFF issued a draft voters' list of 137.

However, the committee, headed by former acting secretary of the Bangladesh Election Commission, Dr Mohammad Jakaria, rejected the objection against FC Uttar Bango, Siddique Bazar Junior SC, and Kurigram FC.

"We went through all the documents we needed to examine the objections, and we also interviewed the plaintiffs and defendants; we even communicated with those absent via phone and held a video conference," Jakaria informed after a 12-hour long marathon meeting at the BFF House today.

With the exclusion of four delegates, the number of draft voters now stands at 133, and the BFF executive committee will finalise the voters' list at tomorrow's meeting.

"After examining everything, we have cancelled four delegates from Feni, Sherpur, Gopalganj, and Lalmonirhat and upheld the delegates from FC Uttar Bango, Siddique Bazar Junior SC, and Kurigram FC," he added.

The delegates who lost their voting rights will not have the opportunity to appeal against the verdict of the mitigation committee.

However, BFF General Secretary Emran Hossain said that the BFF executive committee will make the final decision on the voters' list at tomorrow's meeting, which will also appoint an election commission for the October 26 polls.

In response to a query, Emran said that the executive committee is expected to accept the recommendations of the mitigation committee regarding the exclusion of the four delegates.

The local games committee had earlier started the procedure for preparing the voters' list on September 15, and it was completed on September 30. They finalised a total of 137 voters, excluding Jashore FA and Sathkira FA on legal grounds.

Among the 137 delegates, eight are from divisional football associations, 62 from district football associations, 10 from the Bangladesh Premier League, five from the Bangladesh Championship League, 18 from the first division football league, and eight each from the second and third division leagues, four from the women's football league, six from universities, five from educational boards, and one each from the referees' association, coaches' association, and women's sports association.

The BFF secretariat will now submit the voters' list to Thursday's executive committee meeting for final approval.