Bangladesh Football Federation president Kazi Salahuddin said he has just followed FIFA and AFC practice while giving away media accreditation cards to the sponsors.

"I did nothing but follow the FIFA and the AFC, who also give priority to the sponsors and you know that those who are going to cover the World Cup through that sponsor are recognised journalists of the country," Salahuddin told The Daily Star over phone from Sri Lanka yesterday.

The BFF boss came under the spotlight on Tuesday when a national Bangla daily disclosed that three media accreditation cards were awarded to Beximco, a leading sponsor of BFE Salahuddin said that they got five media accreditations from FIFA and all of them were distributed among four organisations — three sports journalists associations, a photographer association and other one for the highest selling Bangla daily of the country.

He added that they got another four media accreditations of which one was given to a veteran sports journalist and three were given to Beximco.

There was also demand for media accreditations from different national dailies and BFF general secretary Al Musabbir Sadi said that he received a lot of verbal applications. He however did not disclose the figure.

Sadi also informed that the BFF were allotted 290 tickets of 2010 World Cup in South Africa for the football family meaning BFF executive committee members, sponsors, organisers, current and former footballers and VIPs and then the general people.

But since the demand for tickets were more than the allocation the BFF has formed a committee that will decide the 290 lucky winners.

Sadi said that the BFF has got applications for around 500World Cup tickets.