Bangladesh Football Federation has changed its stance on football matches before the national election. The decision came 48 hours after a key meeting on the league schedule.
The national election will be held on 12 February. Before that, Mohammedan raised objections to holding the Federation Cup match on 3 February and the Premier League match on 6 February.
In the meeting the day before yesterday, BFF league committee chairman and senior vice-president Imrul Hasan spoke in favour of keeping the published schedule. He gave several reasons to support the fixtures.
But today, the federation informed clubs that matches will not restart in the first week of February. BFF sent a letter to the clubs with the updated decision.
The letter was signed by BFF general secretary Imran Hossain Tushar. It said, “Considering requests from various participating clubs and the request of the law enforcement agencies, the Federation Cup (Match Day 7) and the league (Round 10) matches will not resume. The rescheduled fixtures of these competitions will be sent very soon.”
In most league matters, including fixtures, the joint signatures of Imrul Hasan and Imran Hossain Tushar are usually needed. This time, only the general secretary signed the letter.
Mohammedan manager Imtiaz Ahmed Nakeeb had been the most vocal in asking for matches to be stopped before the election. He welcomed the federation’s latest decision.
“In Bangladesh’s context, organising matches before the election is challenging for both the federation and the clubs. Because of this decision, clubs can now start their camps a few days later and train. This will reduce costs,” he said.
The Premier League mid-season transfer window will continue until 31 January. With matches not restarting in early February, domestic football will now remain suspended for more than a month.
The league will also face another break later. Bangladesh will prepare for the national team match against Singapore on 31 March.
