‘Disclosure of BFF’s financial irregularities has been long overdue'

On Friday,  FIFA's adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee sanctioned  General Secretary of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) Abu Nayeem Shohag, imposing on him a two-year ban from all football-related activities and a fine of approximately BDT 12 lakh (CHF 10,000) for having used false and/or falsified documents to justify payments made by the BFF with FIFA funds.

And former national striker Sheikh Mohammad Aslam said that this is something that has been long overdue. 

"The disclosure of the financial irregularities and the suspension of general secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag by FIFA is the truth we have been telling for a long time," said Aslam.

Aslam was an executive committee member of BFF from 2008 to 2016 before resigning from the committee.

"We talked about the irregularities time and again, so much so that it eventually led to people being annoyed with my words. But I saw from up-close how they were stealing money," said Aslam. "One day, the [BFF] president [Kazi Salahuddin] phoned me to help Shohag settle down the account by providing vouchers."

"This is what happened. I asked the president, did you not find anyone else but me to do this?" claimed Aslam, who resigned from the BFF executive committee in 2016.

"It is a matter of shame for the whole nation and they simply can't let down our nation by doing such irregularities. They haven't been given any right to do this," Aslam added. "We have already been on the backseat in world's football and now our beloved football will go further down with this incident."

Aslam also believes Shohag is not the only responsible person behind BFF's financial irregularities.

"Shohag is not the only responsible person behind the irregularities. I think there are stronger forces at play here and Shohag did all these on the back of their inspiration," said Aslam, urging to launch an investigation committee to find out other irregularities in BFF. "To be honest, we lost to his [BFF president Kazi Salahuddin's] pride."

"At every annual general meeting of BFF, they make councillors understand the financial matter with feeble explanation and they have been doing this year after year," said Aslam.

Former national footballer Abdul Gaffar termed it as a day of disgrace. 

"Yesterday was the first day of the Bengali new year but it has turned into a day of disgrace for all due to BFF general secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag," said Gaffar.

"We have been telling this during the BFF polls and the truth finally came out and I think there are many more truths that will come out," said the former national footballer.

Having termed it as a criminal offence, Gaffar said, "We demand the parliamentary standing committee to launch another investigation to come into light other misdoings of BFF. And steps should be taken so that Shohag can't go aboard."