Footballers Association of BKSP (FAB) felicitated Saifur Rahman Moni for being elected as a member of Bangladesh Football Federation.
The organization organized this reception in an elite hotel in Gulshan of the capital on Saturday evening. The event became colorful with the presence of a number of former footballers.
Football stars like former national team captain Imtiaz Ahmed Naqib, Mamunul Islam, Zahid Hasan Emily were present in it.
There were former footballers and BAFUF members Golam Ghaus, Iqbal Hossain, Sakhwat Hossain Bhuiyan Shaheen, Manjurul Karim, Kamrul Hasan and many others related to football. All in all, the event turned out to be a gathering of footballers and organizers.
Moni had to give a tough test in the Bauff elections held last October. He and Md. Ekhlach Uddin got equal 61 votes and waited to become the 15th member. A re-poll between the two was held on November 30. Moni defeated Ekhlach Uddin by 56-51 votes.
Moni, who is currently the coach of Chittagong Abahani, participated in the BAFF elections twice before. But could not win. In this election, he participated in the vote war for the second time and won. So Moni became emotional in the ceremony while expressing his gratitude to those who were by his side in this fight.
He said, 'This journey was not so easy. I start the election with empty pockets. Because I believed, I have 12 years of relationship with those who are delegated. They will surely trust me. But unfortunately the environment was such that it became much more difficult for me to choose.'
Moni said, 'Meanwhile, I tried to make the election. Manju bhai, Shaheen bhai, Hilton bhai, Iqbal bhai, Gaus bhai are present here. They helped me the most. No matter how much I thank or express gratitude, it will be belittled by them. I will remember for the rest of my life that I was able to come to this place because of them. I don't think it's just my win. It's a victory for the whole of football.'
Moni is the first BKSP alumnus to be elected as a BAFFE member. That too with many attempts. Former student of the institution, former captain of the national team, Mamunul described Moni as a warrior in his speech and said, 'Moni bhai is a true warrior. In football, you will see many teams turn around after losing. Moni Bhai just fought without giving up and eventually came out victorious.'
FAB President Jasim Uddin said, 'From 1986 to today 2024, no cadet from BKSP has been associated with the Football Federation till now. Moni is the only person who has been able to connect with it. We ourselves are very happy to welcome Moni. The members of Fab and the members of Buff who came, that was a bridge, it was very important for us. We are happy and proud of it.'
