Sports Desk:

Kazi Md Salahuddin’s 16-year regime of despotism and corruption in the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) will end when his ongoing fourth tenure will conclude on 3 October.

The 70-year-old, who was considered the most influential man in the country’s football arena, announced on Saturday that he won’t contest for the presidency in the next election, scheduled on 26 October.

Salahuddin’s last day at BFF house certainly will not be a memorable day of his life; he may even be reprimanded by some protesters outside the BFF house in Motijheel.

Now the question is why the common football fans hate Salahuddin, who is the country’s first superstar, legendary footballer and member of the Shadhin Bangla Football Team, a lot?

Salahuddin, who scored 153 goals in 204 club matches and 8 goals in 31 international matches, was the first Bangladeshi footballer to play for a foreign club, Caroline Hill FC, in the Hong Kong First Division League in the 1975-76 season.

After a 16-year-long playing career, Salahuddin became the manager and coached the national side, Dhaka Abahani Ltd, Brothers Union and Muktijoddha Sangsad KC. Under his coach, Abahani won two Dhaka League titles, one Federation Cup title and Muktijoddha won one Federation Cup.

Later, he turned an organizer and became the BFF vice-president in 2003 before his long career as BFF president since 2008.

There has been a volley of allegations against Salahuddin including the abuse of power, use of political connections to eliminate opposition inside the federation, financial irregularities and corruption, but the former footballers believed that he was the main culprit in demolishing the grassroots football of Bangladesh.

“It isn’t mandatory for a good footballer or coach to be a good organizer. He was a good footballer or a coach but not a good organizer. He destroyed the structure of our football. He demolished the district football, age-level football, and divisions,” former football star Sheikh Mohammad Aslam told that about Salahuddin’s 16-year regime.

“He formed a professional league. But if we have no football at the grassroots level, then how do the professional leagues get footballers ? I also come from a grassroots level. Also, he closed the source of income of most of our clubs. If the clubs have no sponsors, if they have no way of income, how do they participate in the leagues?,” he added.

“I don’t see anything good in Salahuddin era except some achievements in women’s football. He pushed backwards the men’s football, demolished the leagues and grassroots football. He created a culture of Dhaka-based football and ended district football,” said another national star Ashraf Uddin Ahmed Chunnu.

“He just tried to get overnight success, but did we achieve it? No, ultimately we lost our football. The new leaders have to work on these issues. I will suggest that he form a team of experts, find out the issues at the grassroots level and find the exact solutions,” he concluded.