27 April,2010 10:01 AM IST | | Sanjjeev K Samyal
BCCIu00a0Chief Administrative Officer professor Ratnakar Shetty says IPL will continue to flourish with or without Modi; insists an institution as old as the Board is not about individuals
| Calm, confident: BCCI Chief Administrative Officer Prof Ratnakar Shetty |
Why did the BCCI react so late in taking action against Modi?
The whole aim was not to disturb the IPL. It was a question of just eight days to go and any action at that time would have created more confusion and more problems. So, the president (Shashank Manohar) had decided that action would be taken and BCCI would show the world that we are not trying to put anything under the carpet. We are open to all the investigations being conducted by various agencies.
People who are not connected with cricket are saying there is no transparency, no accountability. It's not true. To doubt the integrity of the people who are working in the BCCI is not right, if there are any allegations, they will be scrutinised.
Franchisees, the main stakeholders, are a concerned lot as most of them had a lot of confidence in Modi.u00a0 Could this be a problem?
The franchisees are important stakeholders in the IPL as they have invested a lot of money. They would certainly be apprehensive about the whole issue. On behalf of the board I'd just like to tell them that we all are equally concerned about IPL's success too. Individuals keep changing, but an institution is there to stay. It is not that only one individual can deliver the goods. It has never happened in an institution as old as the BCCI. It's an 80-year-old body now and a lot of administrators have passed through this institution.
We just want to assure the franchisees on behalf of the president and secretary of the Board that the whole concept of IPL will continue in the same manner as it did. People should not judgemental before providing an opportunity to others.
It is said that BCCI has made up its mind that this is the end of Modi. Will he be reinstated if he comes clean with all the documents?
It's not right to speculate. The BCCI president as made it clear that it's going to be a fair trial. If there is something wrong, it will be unearthed by the agencies (Income Tax and Enforcement Directorate). Till such time, no one is guilty. Modi has an opportunity to explain himself before the committee.
There is a procedure that is in place now. Pending enquiry, he has been suspended for six months. The outcome of government enquiries will be relevant to this enquiry. The original documents that we have asked for are not directly connected to the process. I'm sure he will come out and extend full support to the same.
There are reports that there was pressure from the government to take action against Modi. Is this true?
There is no such thing. It is purely on the basis of our reaction to what we have been seeing. For instance, we did not know about the media rights issue and suddenly reports (media and investigating agencies) suggested that unaccounted money was involved to settle a deal. If that is the case, the BCCI would also like to know and take action accordingly. After all, the agreement is signed on behalf of the BCCI.
Experts believe that IPL's market value will be severely affected. Do you agree?
No, because tomorrow I can make 100 allegations against somebody. But those allegations have to be proved. As the president rightly said in the press conference, it was our duty to show that we are not blind to what is going on. Therefore the first step was to issue a show cause notice and issue a suspension order.
The IT dept recently conducted a survey at the BCCI headquarters. What details are they seeking now?
The tax authorities and Enforcement Directorate are enquiring about a lot of papers connected with IPL and in some cases we don't have original documents. We only have photo copies which they feel are not proper. According to (IPL CEO) Sundar Raman, the original documents are with Modi. My job is to put up a list of documents that were supposed to be with IPL and obtain original documents in each case.
The controversies have hurt the image of the BCCI as well. What has been the most disturbing aspect for you?
The most disturbing fact for us was the allegations made that players are involved in match fixing. I think that's very sad. People aren't aware of the difference between betting and match fixing. Betting takes place for anything in India. Be it Sania Mirza's wedding or Tendulkar scoring a hundred, or the outcome of the elections. In this country betting is rampant and is not necessarily restricted to cricket. So people should be careful when they make allegations of match fixing. It hurts not only to the cricketers but the board as well. Ten years ago, weu00a0 went through a similar crisis and don't want the image of the game to be spoilt. Unless people have proof that X, Y, Z is involved, making a general comment that there is match-fixing is sad for the game.
Will you compare the current controversy to be as bad as match-fixing?
Match-fixing was a different scenario altogether because there the game was taking a hit. The prestige of our own cricketers was at stake. But this is a case of personal allegations... a lot of stories about Modi, some unsubstantiated, which are being investigated.
Is it upsetting that the whole drama has sent out a wrong message to the world?
It (the controversies) is certainly disturbing as it gives a bad name to the organisation. Unfortunately, when such incidents take place you become the centre of attraction and people start looking at you with suspicion. But our good work is there for all to see. IPL is an immensely successful BCCI product. There are people all over the world trying to pull us down. We don't want to have an image where people doubt us, so everything has to be transparent. We need to come out of this mess as fast as possible. We'd like to see an early closure to this, so that brand IPL remains intact.
What will be the next step for Modi?
He has to reply to the show cause notice in 15 days. His reply will be placed in front of an inquiry or a disciplinary committee. This committee comprises of Shashank Manohar, Chirayu Amin and Arun Jaitely.
The disciplinary committee will submit its report in the general body meeting.
