politics in BCCI; match-fixing - CSK - and who is its real Owner ?

Do you know or can you group :R. E. Grant Govan; Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan; Hamidullah Khan; Digvijaysinhji of Nawanagar; P. Subbarayan;           Anthony S. D'Mello; J.C. Mukherji; Maharajkumar of Vizianagram; Sardar Surjitsingh Majithia

Yesterday evening till night,  most English channels in the Country were showing live the Mumbai airport – nothing of any special happening ~ nor of any Great Statesmen being there….. but their staff reporters and camera persons had just placed their cameras on the exit and were screaming that ‘there is he is seen’ – ‘now he is likely to come out’; whether he will be arrested here itself or be taken to the Police headquarters and panel discussions on what was happening…… the person being referred to was Gurunath Meiyappan, the son-in-law of Mr N Srinivasan, owner of Chennai Super Kings, India Cements and president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.   There was also news of how cleverly Meiyappan  managed to avoid the waiting media contingent at the Madurai airport on Friday evening by changing his car on his way to the airport from Kodaikanal.

Journalists had been gathering outside the airport at temple town of Madurai  since 2 p.m. when news spread that he was flying to Mumbai via Madurai. He was initially expected to take a regular passenger flight ; after more than three hours of waiting, his SUV, a white Toyota Land Cruiser entered the airport, waited at the farther end of the terminal for a while and moved towards the parking lot. Perplexed as to why the vehicle was being driven to the parking lot instead of the entry gate, the journalists ran towards it. In the meantime, Meiyappan entered the airport after getting down from a hired Toyota Innova.

Cricket in India is in a crisis and needs to be saved……… for the poor spectator and die-hard fans who have been patronizing the cricketers so much.   What began as a betting and spot-fixing scandal involving three players in one Indian Premier League team now seems to have drawn in team owners, and the man at the very top of cricket administration in India.  In a botched attempt to soft peddle the issue it is now stated that Gurunath is not CSK’s Team Principal.  BCCI President is quoted as saying that he will not resign following the arrest of his son-in-law.. ….. there is also the query that when  Mr Robert Vadera was under the scanner, whether anyone clamoured for the head of Ms Sonia Gandhi…

Now the list that you read in the first para is the name of those who were the Presidents of BCCI.   The first President R.E. Grant Govan also known as Raymond Grant Govan was a British Industrialist who was the MD of a leading business house known as Govan Bros; he was was also the founder of Indian National Airways Ltd.   The second was a renowned politician and perhaps politicians managing and keeping things under tight control is not new to BCCI nor to India.   In the list, you also read P Subbarayan who was also the CM of Madras Presidency.   In later years, BCCI was to be in the hands of more politicians and powerful people like Madhavarao Scindia, IS Bindra, Raj Singh Dungarpur, AC Muthiah, Jagmohan Dalmiya, RS Mahendra, Sharad Pawar, … N Srinivasan.

Not all were politicians but all have had an iron-hand in managing things exercising power-politics.  In 2008 BCCI rules were amended to ensure India Cements to bid for a franchise and later it was challenged as conflict of interest.  The BCCI is the world’s richest cricket board and will always be seen as fair game by politicians, tycoons and fixers who have an interest only in the power and influence control will bring them.

Now people are gunning for the head of Mr N Srinivasan asking his resignation; he has tried to distance his son in law by stating that Mr  Meiyappan is neither the owner, nor the CEO/Team Principal of the Chennai Super Kings."The ‘dethroning’ of Mr. Meiyappan happened on a day he arrived in Mumbai to answer a summons from the city’s crime branch for allegedly placing illegal bets through actor Vindoo Singh. Mr. Singh is currently being held in connection with betting and spot-fixing rackets.

It is also stated that the association of Mr Gurunath with CSK is being deleted in all social media including twitter; however the cache could still remain in some.  During the tournament, some had jocularly stated that in the next IPL, all teams should play matches amongst themselves and after the finals, the winner should play CSK…….. but now suddenly according to some,  there the  possible  danger of CSK being terminated from the IPL following Mr. Meiyappan coming under the illegal betting scanner has prompted this cover-up.  According to rules, a franchisee can be terminated with immediate effect by written notice if “the Franchisee, any Franchisee Group Company and/or any Owner acts in any way which has a material adverse effect upon the reputation or standing of the League, BCCI-IPL, BCCI, the Franchisee, the Team (or any other team in the League) and/or the game of cricket.”

Whatever be the rules of BCCI or IPL ………… the morale of the common man who has been supporting the game so much is terribly shaken and something strict needs to be done immediately.  Meantime, MI defeated RR and would play CSK in the finals tomorrow

With regards – S. Sampathkumar