Kazi Salahuddin - 16 years of unfulfilled promises as Bangladesh Football Federation president

With grand dreams and high hopes, Kazi Salahuddin entered the stage as a football leader. Expectations surrounding him soared, fueled by his reputation and charisma. His early tenure began on a positive note—under his influence, major corporations came on board as sponsors, and many believed that the long-dormant state of football in Bangladesh had finally found a path to revival. However, following his announcement to step down, how should we assess his 16-year reign as the President of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF)?

There are both successes and failures in his tenure. To begin with the positives, domestic football at the highest level did acquire some structure under his leadership. Although the number of participating clubs has been decreasing year by year and the venues remain inconsistent, the Premier League has been held regularly—a positive development. At least the game is still being played. Unlike in the past, footballers did not have to strike to ensure the continuation of the league during Salahuddin's tenure, which is no small feat considering that prior to his leadership, leagues would sometimes take place once every three years.

Currently, domestic club football is held in six venues across the country, which is certainly a step forward. Bangladesh's club Bashundhara Kings also participated in the AFC Champions League qualifiers—a development that can be considered a sign of progress. Additionally, the salaries of top-tier footballers have reached substantial sums, with some earning up to a crore taka (10 million BDT), marking a significant increase in financial investment in the sport. Salahuddin deserves credit for this influx of money into football.

Salahuddin can also claim credit for advancing women's football in Bangladesh, though his critics tend to downplay this achievement. However, it is worth noting that Bangladesh currently holds four SAFF (South Asian Football Federation) titles, three of which belong to the women's teams. The women's national team won their first-ever title in 2022, and the U-16 and U-19 teams secured the other two. The fourth title was won by the men's U-20 team, who defeated Nepal just last month.

When Salahuddin first won the BFF presidential election in 2008, he prioritised the national team. He was re-elected unopposed in 2012, and again won the elections in 2016 and 2020. Over time, he grew even more focused on the national team, ensuring that they received maximum resources and benefits. Under his leadership, the national team enjoyed access to foreign coaches, coaching staff, numerous friendly matches, overseas training camps, and stays in top-notch hotels—bringing international standards of support to the team.

Yet, the national team, into which he poured so many resources, is also the greatest source of disappointment during his tenure. Under his leadership, Bangladesh never reached the final of the SAFF Championship. He once promised to elevate the country to the 150s in the FIFA rankings, but instead, from February to May of 2018, Bangladesh sank to 197th. As Salahuddin prepares to depart, Bangladesh sits two ranks below Bhutan (182nd) in the FIFA rankings, having lost to Bhutan for the second time just recently. Back in April 1996, Bangladesh was ranked 110th among 181 nations. Just 19 days before Salahuddin took office in April 2008, the nation was ranked 180th. Now, as he exits, Bangladesh has dropped four places.

Given his charismatic persona as a footballer and his close ties with the upper echelons of the previous government, much more was expected of Salahuddin. How much of those expectations he fulfilled is a matter of debate. To this day, football in Bangladesh still lacks a dedicated stadium. The Bangabandhu Stadium has remained unused for the past three years under the guise of renovation. Despite promises, he failed to establish a modern football academy. His pledge to create divisional football centres across the country also went unfulfilled. Over the course of his tenure, Bangladesh has received only two full-sized turfs from FIFA, both of which have since deteriorated. Additionally, he was unable to establish a FIFA-funded training centre, although part of the blame can be attributed to bureaucratic delays in securing land from the government.

Salahuddin cannot be held directly responsible for the clubs' failure to establish academies or form age-based teams. However, he failed to compel the clubs to address these issues. Players typically emerge from the lower leagues, yet the lower divisions in Dhaka have not received the necessary attention. District leagues are irregular, with Narayanganj, a district neighbouring Dhaka, not holding a football league in six years. The BFF, under Salahuddin's leadership, did nothing to address these gaps. Essentially, the BFF has functioned as little more than the Dhaka Football Federation. In September 2022, Salahuddin assumed the chairmanship of the BFF's District League Committee, promising to revitalise football across the country. However, not a single meeting has been held by the committee in the last two years.

While there may be no black marks of corruption directly tied to Salahuddin, under his leadership, former BFF General Secretary Abu Nayeem was banned for two years by FIFA in April last year due to financial irregularities. BFF Senior Vice President Salam Murshedy was also fined 1.3 million BDT by FIFA for his failure to perform his duties as the head of the BFF finance committee—a first in the history of Bangladesh football. Salahuddin cannot escape responsibility for these issues, and this episode will forever remain a dark stain on his 16-year tenure.