The likelihood that a unanimous panel will be formed in the Bangladesh Hockey Federation soon is not likely, but it is still possible if the faction led by Sajed Adel and Shafiullah Al Munir step up to communicate with their rivals.
Khawja Rahmatullah, who sat with the divisional and district level organisers Saturday night, also did not rule out the possibility. “A unified panel, I believe, is always good for hockey. The time has not ran out but they have to come with the proposals” said Rahmat.
Rahmatullah appeared to be a happy man as 22 of the present forum members consented to support the existing ad-hoc committee general secretary. The total number of districts and divisions are 27. “The divisional and district councilors support has raised my confidence. There are some complains, but we will try to evaluate the grass root level organisers in the future” said Rahmat.
Bangladesh Olympic Association member Dewan Shafiul Arefin Tutul and Forum secretary general Ashikur Rahman Miku also attended the meeting.
Later, Khawja Rahmatullah sat in another meeting with the club organisers and sought their support. A club councilor requesting anonymity said the momentum now seems to be with Rahmatulah. “Around 20 clubs of Dhaka are set to support Khawja Rahmatullah. With the addition of the NSC nominated councilors, I think the wave belongs to him. However, the election process is a critical one and nothing is final till the election concludes” said the organiser.
Hockey legend Abdus Sadeque, long serving general secretary Shamsul Bari, and former joint secretary Abdur Rashid have been considered as possible vice presidents. Khandokar Jamiluuddin, who resigned as a vice president of the ad-hoc committee, commented that he is yet to decide whether he will participate in the polls or not. “I firstly congratulate the president of the federation for convincing the national players to return to the national camp. He is still to accept my resignation but I will wait for a few more days to take the decision” said Jamiluddin.
The panel is expected to be finalised after the final voter list is published on Wednesday.
