BCCI to knock on SC door again

Cricket : Board points out 'anomalies and difficulties' in implementing Lodha report

 The BCCI unanimously decided to file an affidavit in the Supreme Court pointing out the “anomalies and difficulties” in implementing the Justice Lodha Committee recommendations on the restructuring of the cricket board.

It was decided in the Special General Meeting of the BCCI here on Friday that secretary Anurag Thakur will file an affidavit on behalf of the BCCI in the apex court.

The Lodha Committee has recommended wide ranging sweeping reforms in the BCCI including having only one vote per state, age cap of its officials, no simultaneous posts in state and national body along with restrictions on advertisements in televised cricket matches.

“The Members authorised the Honorary Secretary BCCI to file an affidavit in the Hon’ble Supreme Court on behalf of the BCCI pointing out the anomalies and difficulties encountered in implementation of Hon’ble Justice Lodha Committee’s recommendations,” the BCCI said in a release after the meeting.

It is also learnt that BCCI has told the state associations that they can file affidavit separately on the difficulties they faced due to the recommendations.

In fact Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA), who will be affected on two counts —- losing voting rights due to ‘One State One Vote’ recommendation which may come into effect and its president Niranjan Shah requiring to quit if the age-cap of 70 is implemented -- are moving court.

“We will be filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court,” SCA supremo Shah said on Friday.
It has been learnt that some of the points that will be in the affidavit include: The ‘One state One Vote’ recommendation which means that traditional cricket powerhouses like Mumbai, Baroda lose voting rights.

The ‘Age Cap of 70 years and cooling off period of three years between two posts will also figure in the affidavit.

Not holding position simultaneously in both state and BCCI like secretary Anurag Thakur, treasurer Aniruddh Chaudhary and joint secretary Amitabh Chaudhary is another point.
The Lodha Committee has also recommended having other sports in cricket stadiums during off-season, which the BCCI feels is practically not feasible.

And finally, the most important point is about ‘having advertisement breaks only during lunch or tea in international matches’ which will lead to BCCI losing approximately Rs 1500 crore of revenues.

The Working Committee also authorised the President and the Secretary to appoint an agency to search for candidates for the posts of CEO and CFO for the BCCI, as one of the reforms suggested by the Supreme Court-appointed committee.

Members seeks clarity

Meanwhile, Manohar, who is committed to ending the monopoly of India, Australia and England in the ICC, has been asked by the working committee to appraise them of the steps that are being taken regarding the financial restructuring of the global cricket body.
As per the earlier structure, BCCI along with England and Australia were pooling in 80 per cent of the revenues, being the nations that brought the money to the body. However Manohar, as ICC chairman, had made it clear that he wanted equitable distribution.

While this could lead to a revenue loss for the BCCI, it also did not go down well with the members that the matter was not brought to the table in any of the BCCI meetings before Manohar went for the ICC meeting in Dubai.

However, the working committee on Friday decided that Manohar and secretary Anurag Thakur should discuss the financial ramifications of such a move.

“The members authorised the President and Hony. Secretary to discuss the governance and financial restructuring of the ICC subject to such restructuring being incorporated in the constitution of the ICC for permanency,” a BCCI release stated.

It was also learnt that members also authorised the President and Hony. Secretary to rework the FTPs for the period 2016 to 2023 and ensure equitable distribution of the matches.