BFF: Bangladesh’s 2024-25 football season began with the Challenge Cup 2.0 on November 22. The first phase of the Bangladesh Premier League ended and one round of the second phase has been completed. The group stage of the Federation Cup tournament ended and the semi-finals were held. Although the current season is more than half over, the BFF has not been able to form a referee committee. Formation of a referee committee was one of the 10 agenda items at the third meeting of the executive committee on March 20.
After the BFF elections on October 26, the first executive committee meeting was held on November 9. Although about 20 committee chairmen were nominated in that meeting, the important referees committee was not formed. A month later, on December 11, the second executive committee meeting discussed the letter to increase the referees’ honorarium, but the federation could not form a referees committee at that time. At the third meeting, they took the initiative to form a referees committee. The referees received honorarium for the first five rounds of the Premier League. They were promised to receive the remaining four rounds of the first leg before Eid. The debt to the federation left during the tenure of Kazi Salahuddin is over one crore taka.
In the second meeting on December 11, it was decided to hold two executive meetings in Chittagong and Jessore in the third week of January and mid-February. Since BFF President Tabith Awal was busy abroad, these two meetings were not held at the scheduled time. The Bangladesh football team will leave for Shillong in the morning on March 20. That afternoon, the officials will sit in the BFF building. Two of the 10 agenda items are financial. In addition to discussing the 2025 budget, there is also the issue of the recent withdrawal of FIFA fund restrictions. BFF has about 100 staff, both technical and administrative. Despite having such a large number of people, there is no specific HR policy. Approval of that policy is one of the issues of the upcoming meeting.
BFF wants to organize school football in schools in the capital Dhaka in mid-April. Various aspects of this tournament will be discussed in the executive committee meeting. Along with this, there will be discussions on the ongoing Under-15 National Championship, Bangladesh Championship League and the development of grassroots football. At the annual general meeting, the general secretary presents the report on BFF’s annual activities. He is not usually required to present the report at the executive meeting. However, in the third meeting of the new committee, the general secretary will have to present the overall activities of the federation in the last four months. On the instructions of the president, the general secretary sets the agenda for the executive meeting.
