The National Sports Council has issued a directive instructing all national sporting bodies to refrain from using national-team athletes in any form of electoral publicity, citing the need to protect the neutrality and integrity of sport.
In a circular released on Monday and signed by NSC director of sports Mohammad Aminul Ehasan, the council said athletes representing Bangladesh are “treasures of the country” and “symbols of unity for all citizens.” It added that using their image, or that of sport more broadly, for political or electoral gain was “unacceptable” and undermined the sanctity of sport.
The notice stated that certain groups and individuals had recently attempted to involve current national players in political and electoral campaigns ahead of the forthcoming elections. Such involvement, the NSC argued, contradicts the national sports policy and risks compromising the wider sporting environment.
The directive is understood to have been prompted by a video circulating online that showed several national footballers, along with BFF president Tabith Awal and his father Abdul Awal Mintu, encouraging residents of their locality in Feni to tune in to the AFC Asian Cup qualifying match between Bangladesh and India.
