Four newcomers were elected as vice president, while two national footballers conceded defeat in four vital posts of the vice presidents in the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) Election 2024 held today (Saturday) at a local hotel in the capital.
Two-time vice president, BNP leader, and businessman Tabith Awal elected the new president of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) with a huge margin, beating AFM Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury, a grassroots organiser and coach from Dinajpur District, by 23-5 votes in the day's BFF Election '2024.
Former footballer Tabith Awal, who elected BFF vice president in the BFF Election in 2012 and 2016 during the Kazi Salahuddin regime, ended the long 16-year, four-term tenure of Kazi M Salahuddin, who quit the election this time.
President of BPL football champions Bashundhara Kings Imrul Hasan elected senior vice president (SVP) unopposed as his rival businessman and sports organiser Tarafder Md Ruhul Amin withdrew his candidature in the dying moment.
BFF Election: Tabith Awal emerging as frontrunner to replace Salahuddin
He will replace long serving BFF senior vice president, national booter, and former parliament member Abdus Salam Murshedy.
Six candidates competed in the four vice president posts of BFF.
Nasser Shahriar Zahedee, a grassroot level organiser of Jashore Shamsul Huda Academy elected the first vice president polling 115 votes, Wahiduddin Chowdhury Happy of Luxmipur District Football Association and elder brother of former BNP MP Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annie elected vice president securing 108 votes.
Sabbir Ahmed Arif, member secretary of the Brothers Union Club, polled 90 votes to finish 3rd, while sports event management businessman Fahad Mohammad Ahmed Karim got 87 votes to be the 4th and last vice president.
Former national footballer Syed Rumman Wali Bin Shabbir polled 66 votes, and another national footballer, cum coach Shafiqul Islam Manik, got 42 votes to concede defeat in the post of vice president.
The annual general meeting of BFF was also held at the same venue Saturday morning with outgoing president Kazi Md Salahuddin in the chair.
A total of 128 councillors out of 133 exercised their voting rights on Saturday from 2 pm to 6 pm to elect a 21-member BFF executive committee, including one president, one senior vice president, four vice presidents, and 15 executive committee members, among the 46 intending candidates.
Thirty-seven competed in the 15 executive committee members of BFF; counting of member votes was in progress till the last report was received.