Five Premier Division clubs have threatened to boycott all hockey-related activities if the National Sports Council does not withdraw five councilors from the forthcoming
election to the Bangladesh Hockey Federation.
The sports council has named former hockey players Abdus Sadek, Jumman Lusai, Mahbub Harun, Mamunur Rashid and Zaki Ahmed Ripon all having an Abahani Limited background as their councilors to the hockey elections.
In a joint press conference at the Mariner Young’s Club, representatives of Mohammedan Sporting Club, Mariner, Wari, Bangladesh Sporting Club and Dhaka Wanderers Club said that they would refrain from all hockey-related activities if their demand was not met by the the hockey federation president, Air Marshal Enamul Bari.
They, however, did say whether they would be taking part in the elections scheduled for June 27, in the circumstances.
Although the sports council is responsible for naming councillors, representatives of the five clubs said that the hockey federation president has always recommended councilors to the sports council.
This is why they felt that the the hockey federation president could reconsider the names in the interests of hockey.
‘If the five NSC councillors come from a single club, it will set a bad example. So we think that the BHF president should reconsider the matter in the interests of the country’s hockey,’ said Shafiullah Al Munir, the Mariner Young’s councillor who is also contesting for the position of the general secretary with the backing of Mohammedan.
‘Mohammedan are the champions of the last Premier League and Usha Krira Chakra are the runners-up but they [NSC] overlooked all these clubs and nominated five councillors from a single club which hampers the level playing field in the elections,’ he added.
Sajed AA Adel, the councillor of Mohammedan, said that the BHF president had earlier assured them of reconsidering the issue but has not yet done that so far.
Apart from Munir and Adel, Wari Clubs representative Naziur Islam Nazu, Bangladesh Sporting Club representative Md Humayun and Dhaka Wanderers Club representative Md Jashimuddin attended the press conference.
-With New Age input
