NSC strikes off Faruque’s directorship to put his BCB presidency at stake

The National Sports Council (NSC) has cancelled Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Faruque Ahmed’s candidacy as director, potentially pulling the plug on his nine-month old presidency.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports announced the decision in a statement released at 11pm on Thursday, citing a no-confidence motion by eight BCB directors and the findings of a fact-finding committee on the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

Faruque, who was appointed as an NSC-nominated director following the fall of the Awami League government, had been elected BCB president just nine months ago.

But with the cancellation of his directorship, he no longer meets the BCB’s constitutional requirement that the president must be elected from among the board’s directors.

In the last term under former president Nazmul Hassan Papon, two individuals — Ahmed Sajjadul Alam and Jalal Yunus — were nominated by the NSC to serve as directors.

Jalal resigned amid political turmoil, while Sajjadul’s nomination was subsequently revoked.

Faruque and Nazmul Abedeen were later nominated to fill the two vacant seats.

Faruque was elected unopposed as board president on Aug 5, continuing the precedent set by Papon, who served three consecutive terms without a contest.

However, tensions within the board escalated.

On Wednesday, Youth and Sport Advisor Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain met with Faruque and reportedly suggested a change in leadership.

Faruque, in response, requested time to consider the matter. A day later, he declared he had no reason to resign.

Matters took a serious turn when eight directors submitted a no-confidence letter, accusing Faruque of autocratic behaviour, repeated constitutional violations, financial irregularities, and ties to controversial figures.

Faruque, in turn, dismissed the accusations as “fabricated and baseless” and accused the directors of corruption.

He also pointed out that the BCB constitution contains no provision for a no-confidence vote against the president.

In its statement, the NSC said the decision to cancel Faruque’s nomination was taken “to normalise the functionality of the Bangladesh Cricket Board”, referring to the no-confidence motion and the BPL investigation report.

With Faruque no longer a director, his eligibility as president is in question.

While the BCB constitution is clear on the requirement that the president must be a director, some ambiguity remains regarding the mechanisms for removal or succession in such scenarios.

Faruque himself acknowledged the uncertainty.

“I don’t want to comment right now. But I haven’t resigned. I’ll speak to my lawyers before deciding on the next step.”

Meanwhile, a possible successor is already in the wings.

Former national team captain Aminul Islam Bulbul told bdnews24.com that the Ministry of Youth and Sports has offered him a position on the BCB and that he is willing to take on any responsibility.

While he did not explicitly mention the presidency, Aminul expressed his willingness to serve until the next BCB elections, scheduled to be held by October.

“The BCB will not remain unelected or inactive for long,” said Bangladesh’s first Test centurion.

To be eligible, Aminul would need to be appointed as a BCB councillor — a requirement that the NSC fulfilled on Thursday.

According to the BCB constitution, five members are authorised to nominate NSC councillors, though changes must be ratified in a BCB board meeting.

The coming weeks are likely to determine whether Faruque will remain at the helm or whether a transition of power is imminent.