Government interference in BCB, alleges former director

Ahmed Sajjadul Alam Bobby, a director of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), is referred to as a former director in this headline. However, just three days ago, he was actively involved, serving as the head of the tournament committee.

On August 21, the National Sports Council (NSC) relieved him of his director position. Sajjadul Alam, a veteran sports organizer, has termed the process of his removal as unacceptable and referred to it as government interference.

Two directors of the BCB are appointed by the NSC. In the current board, those two were Jalal Yunus and Sajjadul Alam. Following a change in government, steps were taken to make changes within the BCB.

On the morning of August 19, NSC Secretary Aminul Islam called both individuals and asked them to resign. Within a short time of receiving this message, Jalal Yunus submitted his resignation via email.

However, Sajjadul Alam refused to resign. The former BCB director told the NSC Secretary that since he had been appointed by the NSC, they should inform him directly if any action was to be taken.

The following day, an emergency meeting of the BCB was held at the Ministry of Youth and Sports. During this meeting, BCB President Nazmul Hassan Papon ended his 12-year tenure by submitting his resignation.

Sajjadul Alam was not invited to this meeting, and he was relieved of his position on the same day. In place of the two vacant director positions, former national team captain and chief selector Faruque Ahmed and veteran coach Nazmul Abedeen Fahim were appointed.

Following a vote by the board of directors, Faruque Ahmed was elected as the new BCB President. Sajjadul Alam believes that the entire process of his removal constitutes government interference.

The veteran organizer told *The Business Standard*, "I am astonished and shocked by this decision from the National Sports Council. The interference by the government directly undermines the functioning of the cricket board, which is completely unacceptable." He also mentioned that the NSC did not inform him of the reasons for his removal.

Instead, he received a notification via WhatsApp from BCB CEO Nizam Uddin Chowdhury after the meeting had already taken place.

Sajjadul Alam stated, "I did not receive any notice from the NSC. The only notice I received was sent by the BCB's Chief Executive. He sent me a picture of the notice via WhatsApp at 7 p.m. on the day of the meeting. Before that, I was not invited to the meeting, nor was I given any prior notice by the NSC.

The notice was sent much later by the CEO. Since I was appointed by them, they should have informed me directly. But that did not happen."

Why does Sajjadul Alam call this government interference? What is the process of removing or relieving a director? According to Article 13.3 of the BCB constitution, a director's position may become vacant due to death, resignation, mental instability, or disciplinary punishment. In every case, there must be appropriate documentation or evidence.

The same conditions apply to disqualification of a member of the general council. A member's position may also be forfeited if they represent more than two sports federations or multiple organizations or clubs. If none of these conditions apply, there is no provision for removing a council member.

None of these criteria were met in Sajjadul Alam's case, which is why the notice of removal did not state any reason, leaving him even more surprised.

Sajjadul Alam has had a long career as a sports organizer. Since his youth, he has been involved in managing cricket and was serving as the BCB director and head of the tournament committee. He first joined the BCB in 1983 and worked continuously until 1991.

After a break, he rejoined the board in 2007 and had been serving as a director since then. He also has experience working at various levels of cricket management in Bangladesh.