Old Councillors for BFF's EGM

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) will have to hold an extra-ordinary general meeting to ratify the FIFA statutes in its constitution with the past councillors.

Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) chief operating officer Col (ret) M Waliullah told this to reporters after returning from Malaysia, where he met the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Mohammad Bin Hammam yesterday as a member of the four-man Bangladesh delegation.

BFF president SA Sultan, inactive for over two months, and organisers Badal Roy and Mohiuddin Bulbul represented the delegation which was initiated by the government to break the stalemate around the elections of the football association and the federation.

"We have convinced the AFC chief that the BFF must get approval of the FIFA statutes from its councillors through a general meeting. He agreed to talk with the FIFA and soon give a directive about holding an EGM," said Waliullah last night.

"The BFF has its own constitution and it also has to follow the rules of the country. It means the amendments have to be made before to make FAs (football associations) legal. The AFC chief understood this very well," he added.

It seemed that the AFC boss, however, was indifferent about the idea of involving government officials in the FAs or the federation.

"We have been told that the statutes cannot be altered but the FIFA and AFC will not oppose if the government officials are involved unofficially and if it's necessary for the sake of running the game.

"With the FAs yet to get legality according to our law, the old councillors will have their rights to sit at the EGM, advised Hammam," confirmed Waliullah.