ICC Champions Trophy: BCCI warned not to spoil relationship with world body

The Committee of Administrators (CoA) has issued a fresh communication on Wednesday to the members of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as they gear up to meet for the Special General Meeting (SGM) on May 7.

The BCCI SGM has been convened to decide on whether to invoke the Members Participation Agreement (MPA) by boycotting the ICC Champions Trophy in June over the new financial model adopted by the International Cricket Council (ICC) last month where India was outvoted.

The CoA has warned the BCCI to not take any extreme steps and urged them to negotiate with the ICC and other cricket boards.

“It is extremely unlikely that the ICC and other cricket boards will agree to the amount/ share envisaged under the financial model that was put in place in 2014,” stated the CoA communication.

“The ICC and other cricket boards will certainly agree to an amount/ share that is higher than what is envisaged under the revised financial model,” it added. “It is in the interests of Indian cricket for the BCCI to continue negotiations with the ICC and other cricket boards 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.”

CoA asked BCCI officials to not to take any drastic steps that would break the negotiation process with the ICC.

“It is not in the interests of Indian cricket for the BCCI to take any drastic step/ measure which may result in breakdown of negotiations between the BCCI, ICC and other cricket boards, especially since there is sufficient time between now and the ICC Conference to be held in June 2017 for a negotiated outcome to be arrived at.”

The CoA felt negotiation is the only way forward to discuss BCCI’s issues with the new governance model approved by the ICC.

“We are aware that apart from the revised ICC financial model, issues relating to the revised ICC governance structure are also important for the BCCI,” CoA said. “This is evident from the fact that a majority of the preliminary observations contained in the detailed communication dated March 19, 2017 addressed by the CEO to the ICC under our instructions are in relation to the revised ICC governance structure viz. scheduling of bilateral tours, membership issues, powers of the ICC Chairman, voting issues, composition of committees, etc.

“We believe that the way to address these issues is also through negotiation with the ICC and other cricket boards and there is sufficient time between now and the ICC Conference to be held in June 2017 for a negotiated outcome to be arrived at. However, a negotiated outcome may be jeopardized if the BCCI takes any drastic step/ measure at this stage which will only precipitate matters,” the CoA added.

“We trust that the Members of BCCI will take a mature and well-considered decision at the SGM which protects the interests of Indian cricket as a whole. We will extend all possible cooperation and support to such a decision and will stand firmly with the Members of BCCI in that regard. However, in the extremely unlikely event that the decision of the Members of BCCI at the SGM is one which, in our view, is against the interests of Indian cricket, we would be duty bound to bring such decision to the attention of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, communicate our views to the Hon’ble Supreme Court and seek its intervention in the matter as also to take such other steps that we consider necessary to protect the interests of Indian cricket,” the CoA stated.

The CoA has filed its third status report in the Supreme Court on matters relating to eligibility for participating in any Special General Meeting or Annual General Meeting of the BCCI (both with reference to Members and their nominees/ representatives).

However, CoA refrained from issuing any direction since the Supreme Court has not yet decided the issues raised in the third status report.