BCCI-CoA future hangs in balance

The CoA is insisting on elections at the earliest date for the administration to be handed to the BCCI.

CoA chief Vinod Rai with Diana Edulji at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai.

 

The future of the Committee of Administrators (CoA) may well be decided on Thursday when the Supreme Court decides on the status report filed last October against non-complaince by a majority of the state associations.

The CoA has asked for taking away the voting rights from the non-complaint states and also finalise a timeline for the new set of office-bearers of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to take charge.

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The matter will be heard by a two-judge bench of Justice S. A. Bobde and A. M. Sapre.

Barring Vidarbha and Assam, none of the associations have reportedly implemented the Supreme Court guideline in toto. The CoA is insisting on elections at the earliest date for the administration to be handed to the BCCI.

The CoA has sought the new constitution as the foundation for the administration to take charge. Most associations have objected to the age bar (70 years), cooling off period and the disqualification clause.

The associations would be denied voting rights if they don’t fall in line. Funds would also be held back to the errant associations. With the one-day series against Australia coming up in February and the subsequent Indian Premier League (IPL), the CoA is reportedly hoping for things to fall in place.

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“A robust BCCI is much-needed for the conduct of cricket in the country. The matter has been stretched too long and it has impacted the image of the BCCI too. The (two-member) CoA is also not on the same platform on many issues and it does not speak well for the administration of the game,” said a senior BCCI official.

On the issue of Hardik Pandya and K. L. Rahul and the quantum of punishment for their unsavoury comments on women in a TV show, the BCCI official expected the appointment of an Ombudsman as the best way forward. “There is not much time left for the World Cup and it is important the matter is decided at the earliest for the players to concentrate on their cricket,” the official added.