CoA warns BCCI against ICC confrontation

The Supreme Court appointed Committee of Administrators, which has strongly opposed BCCI’s threat of pulling out from the Champions Trophy, sent a strongly worded letter today to the members of BCCI, which has been exclusively accessed by Sportstar.

CoA has also said it will move to the Supreme Court if it feels that the decision taken in the SGM is not in the best interest of Indian cricket.

The Committee of Administrators (CoA) has warned the BCCI against “any drastic step which may result in the breakdown of negotiations” with the ICC and other cricket boards.

The CoA was referring to the Board’s intention of revoking the Members’ Participation Agreement (MPA) for ICC events. This follows the world body’s meetings in Dubai, where the BCCI was outvoted and new structure and revenue models passed.

No revoking MPA

Revoking the MPA will result in India missing all ICC events between 2017 and 2023, starting with next month’s Champions Trophy — an eventuality the CoA indicated it will not permit.

In a 15-point note to the BCCI, the CoA said it would fully support a “mature and well-considered decision at the SGM [on May 7] which protects the interests of Indian cricket”.

“However, in the extremely unlikely event that the decision ... is one which, in our view, is against the interests of Indian cricket, we would be duty-bound to ... communicate our views to the Hon’ble Supreme Court and seek its intervention .. [and] take such other steps that we consider necessary to protect the interests of Indian cricket.”

The CoA also spelt out its view on the negotiating position the BCCI should adopt and advised a middle path.

“The decision regarding what amount/share and changes to the ICC governance structure the BCCI should finally agree to in the course of negotiations with the ICC and other cricket boards is certainly one that needs to be taken by the General Body of the BCCI as it has long-term implications,” the CoA said.

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“It is in the interests of Indian cricket for the BCCI to continue negotiations ... to arrive at an amount/share that is somewhere between that envisaged under the financial model that was put in place in 2014 and that which is envisaged under the revised financial model.”

The CoA cited an audio recording of the SGM held on February 19, 2016, which “reveals that there was a recognition that the BCCI should work in a collaborative framework with ICC and negotiate a lower amount that is acceptable to all. BCCI should continue to adopt this approach in its negotiations with ICC”.

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The Supreme Court-appointed panel further pointed out that “specific details of the maximum reduction in the amount/share that the then President and Secretary of the BCCI were authorised to negotiate and agree were verbally agreed although the same does not find mention in the minutes of the said SGM”.

The CoA said that such a negotiated settlement should have been the way forward at the ICC Board meeting in Dubai instead of asking the ICC to defer taking a decision or voting against the changes.

Here is the copy of letter from the CoA to BCCI members,