The Hindu : Special GBM of BCCI on Dec. 25

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 21, 2002

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Special GBM of BCCI on Dec. 25

KOLKATA DEC. 20. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) while maintaining its stand of seeking greater concessions for its players in the upcoming contract for World Cup sought a special general body meeting on December 25 here "to take a final view'' on the contentious issue.

The international cricket's governing body — International Cricket Council (ICC) — having stated its "final offer'' incorporating some concessions to the Indian board on Thursday, the BCCI had a meeting of its office bearers on the issue here on Friday. Briefing the press BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya said there were "no restrictive clauses in any of the contracts or documents that were given to all cricket boards before the Participating Nations Agreement (PNA) for the 2003 World Cup and the Champions Trophy in 2002.''

The president went on to add that tenders invited by the ICC for marketing and television rights of ICC events on December 10, 1999 did not contain any restrictive clauses that came up in the PNA. He also said that the contentious clauses that are jeopardising many of Indian players' pre-existing contracts with individual sponsors were not included in the Cricket Events Agreements that the BCCI signed on May 28, 2001.

The president questioned the apex body about the "origin'' of these restrictive clauses and asked it to clarify the Board's long-standing queries about the date, source and legitimacy of the contentious implants that he construed were done later on.

Mr. Dalmiya said that there was enough rationality in the demands of the Indian players and added that "the inducement to breaking pre-existing contracts of the players would not survive in the eyes of the law because it entailed a serious deprivation to the players.''

The president said that BCCI remains firm about the earlier demands regarding the ambush marketing protection period to be applicable only during the event, the use of players attributes (imaging) for a period of two months and the exclusion of the players having pre-existing conflicting contracts from imaging.

While the office bearers dithered take the final stand, the special general body meeting was called upon to "take the final view'' before the deadline — December 31 — for the announcement for the final 15 names for the World Cup team expired. The president also informed that a telephonic conference of the IDI board of directors is scheduled on Monday in which the BCCI "would seek time to respond after its special general meeting.'' — Our Sports Reporter

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport