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BCCI ombudsman slams HCA officials over conflict of interest
MUMBAI: Retired Justice AP Shah, the ombudsman appointed by the BCCI, came down heavily on the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) on Wednesday.
MUMBAI: Retired Justice AP Shah, the ombudsman appointed by the BCCI, came down heavily on the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) on Wednesday.
Acting on RM Bhaskar’s complaint against alleged conflict of interest amongst several HCA office-bearers and executive committee members, the ombudsman ordered HCA president Arshad Ayub, former India off-spinner and Team India manager for the 2015 World Cup, to either forego his role in the HCA or disassociate himself from his private cricket academy in order to not violate the principles of conflict of interest.
The complainant has also alleged that Ayub’s son represented Hyderabad in an U-19 BCCI tournament and players from his academy get preference in selection for the state teams. “As president of the HCA, he is likely to have a key role in the selecting the selectors, which by corollary, is likely to affect the manner in which the selections take place, and would lead to preferences given to certain students over others,” the ombudsman stated in its order.
With regard to HCA secretary K John Manoj and HCA vice-president Narender Goud, Justice Shah ordered the BCCI to examine the appointments at the academy and association, and take necessary action.
It’s alleged that Manoj also runs a cricket academy and his academy coaches are then appointed in the HCA academy and as selectors. In Goud’s case, it is alleged that his son and many close relatives are employed with the HCA.
Justice Shah said it’s a dangerous trend of elected members to run cricket academies. “It’s extremely disturbing and unhealthy. If a person runs a cricket academy (then) that person shouldn’t aspire to become a member of the cricket association or the management,” he noted.
Regarding the allegations of preferential treatment meted towards children and relatives of office-bearers, he said: “The selections may not appear to fall within the scope of conflict of interest but if teams are consistently made up of children or relatives of office bearers, questions are likely to be raised.”
