State minister for youth and sports Mujibul Haque Chunnu yesterday assured Bangladesh Hockey Federation officials he would take the necessary steps to solve the problems facing them.
The executive committee of the Bangladesh Hockey Federation met the minister at his secretariat office and exchanged views about the present situation of Dhaka hockey. Dhaka Mohammedan, Mariner Young’s, Wari and Bangladesh Sporting have refrained from taking part in any hockey activities in protest of the election that took place four months ago. Previously, they also refrained from contesting the elections over a number of issues and absented themselves from the premier division hockey league players’ transfers.
Khwaja Rahmatullah, the general secretary of the federation, said that all details of what has transpired since he took the job of secretary of the ad-hoc committee were submitted to the minister. “We told him all the possible details of how the ad-hoc committee ran the federation and later how the election took place, why the players were suspended. We also informed him that the majority of the clubs have completed the players’ transfers. He listened and assured us of taking the necessary steps to reach a proper solution. He may call both the parties within a few days,” said Rahmatullah.
Rahmatullah added that the dissident clubs have the options of those affiliated with the hockey federation executive committee through the quota of National Sports Council. “There are two quotas of the members in the executive committee for the National Sports Council. I have asked the minister to provide those to the clubs who have declined to take part in the transfers,” he said.
However, Rahmatullah also tipped the minister about the consequence of dissolving an elected committee. “I told him that it would be same scenario if the elected committee is dissolved and an ad-hoc committee is installed in the federation. Who would guarantee that the clubs, who are now preparing to play in the premier league, will not boycott the ad-hoc committee?”
On Wednesday, officials from the four dissenting club and a number of national players who were suspended by the federation on disciplinary grounds met the newly appointed state minister for youth and placed their demands of dissolving the existing executive committee of the federation.
