Eight directors of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have sent a letter to Asif Mahmud, the Youth and Sports Adviser, requesting the removal of BCB President Faruque Ahmed, accusing him of authoritarian behavior.
On Wednesday (May 28), the BCB directors submitted the letter to the adviser of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The eight directors who signed the letter against Faruque are: Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, Fahim Sinha, Md. Saiful Alam Swapon Chowdhury, Mahbubul Alam, Iftikhar Rahman Mithu, Kazi Inam Ahmed, Md. Monzur Alam, and Md. Salahuddin Chowdhury.
Last night, Faruque Ahmed met with Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan at his residence. During the meeting, the adviser informed Faruque that the government no longer wants him to remain in the position of BCB President. Faruque took a couple of days to consider the matter. However, today he announced that he will not resign.
Speaking to a national media outlet, the BCB President said, “I’ve decided not to resign. I was told that the government supposedly no longer wants me as BCB President. But they haven’t given me any reason for that. I can’t resign without any cause.”
However, it now seems unlikely that Faruque will be able to hold on to his position. After the political change on August 5 last year, new leadership emerged in the BCB. Faruque became a BCB director as a councillor of the National Sports Council (NSC), and was elected President by the directors on August 21. Now, due to the directors’ no-confidence, he is on the verge of losing his post.
Meanwhile, rumors are circulating that the government wants to appoint Bangladesh’s first Test centurion, Aminul Islam Bulbul, as the next BCB President. When asked about the possibility of becoming BCB President, Aminul said, “I haven’t been asked to take on the role yet.”
