Former Bangladesh Football Federation president Kazi Salahuddin has become eligible to run as the president candidate in the forthcoming South Asian Football Federation elections 2026 after the organisation revoked the 70-year age bar in its congress on Friday.聽
Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan backed the amendment among the seven members of the SAFF, which led to its unanimous approval of the age-bar removal in the congress, which was held in Colombo.聽
Born on September 23, 1954, Salahuddin, now 70, has held the top post of the SAFF for four consecutive tenures since he was elected for the first time in 2009.聽
Asian Football Confederation president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, who was present at the congress, called for greater unity for the growth of football in this region.聽
鈥楽trong and stable leadership is essential for the continued growth of football, and I trust that this congress makes decisions that best serve the future of the game in the region,鈥� said AFC president.聽聽
Salahuddin vowed to expand competitions and improve governance to make South Asian football more competitive.
鈥楽AFF will ensure more competitions in the future and govern the region better so that our children are more competitive,鈥� said Salahuddin.聽
Earlier, SAFF amended its constitution by removing the restriction 鈥榥o one can hold the same position for more than three consecutive terms, which allowed Salahuddin to continue into the fourth tenure in 2022.聽