Munir's gunmen appease none
While Mohammedan's return to the hockey pitch after nearly 45 months was a relief for most hockey players and officials, the club's top official's ballistic appearance on the pitch seemingly wiped out some of that feel-good factor from the opening day of the competition.
Shafiullah Al Munir, the club's hockey committee chairman, stunned everyone as he entered the playing area with bodyguards who were equipped with firearms. The incident raised eyebrows and questions regarding Munir's integrity towards the game as entering the playing area with guns is forbidden as per the laws of the game.
“Those who are with me did not enter the playing area. You can ask whether I was carrying something. My personal security men did not do anything which looks odd. They just provided security as much as I needed, but they did not enter the playing area,” claimed Munir, who was recently nominated as a vice-president of the Bangladesh Hockey Federation.
Munir seemingly briefed Mohammedan players with two gunmen standing behind him, and both the gunmen were around the dugout even after the game got underway. They only left the area after spotting movements of the media.
It has been learnt that Munir later sought apology to the federation's general secretary Abdus Sadeque and promised not to enter the field with gunmen again.
Comments