First BFF AGM after FIFA sanctions to take place Saturday

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) is set to be held at a city hotel on Saturday after a two-year break with focus on FIFA sanctions on BFF employees and membership approval of the top four finishers in the Women's Football League.

The last AGM was held on October 29, 2022, as the president Kazi Salahuddin-led executive committee did not hold the general meeting last year after FIFA's independent ethics committee sanctioned former general secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag in April, 2023 for two years due to financial irregularities.

The same committee sanctioned a fresh ban on Shohag in May this year alongside two BFF top-level employees – chief financial officer Abu Hossain and operations manager Mizanur Rahman—while BFF senior vice president and financial committee head Abdus Salam Murshedy also faced monetary punishment from FIFA.

At the AGM, the local game's governing body is supposed to present the income-and-expenditure of 2022-23 and 2023-24 fiscal years in front of nearly 150 general members to get their approval.

The general members are expected to raise questions about the financial irregularities and enquire why football activities are confined only to Dhaka while district level football continues to struggle with financial constraints.

Thus, the BFF executive committee may face trouble to pass its two-year expenditure at the AGM, where questions could also be raised about the necessity of approving the membership of four clubs from the Women's Football League ahead of the BFF next elections.

The BFF executive committee also plans to present a projected budget of nearly Tk 55 crore for the 2024-25 fiscal year, with a deficit of nearly Tk 22 crore.