There seems to be no end to the controversy around Indian cricket, especially after their ouster from the World Cup following the semi-final loss to New Zealand. After reports of bickering in the side, reports suggesting that a senior member of the Indian team violated BCCI's 'family clause' rules during the World Cup have now surfaced.
The player in question had specifically requested for his wife to stay with him for more than the permissible period of 15 days but it was shot down by the Committee of Administrators (CoA), which had laid down the rules. However, quite shockingly, it has now come to light that the player's wife stayed with him for the entire seven-week duration of the tournament and that there was no communication with either the captain or the coach for her extended stay.
The Item 6 sub-clause G of the minutes of the CoA meeting which has been accessed by PTI says:
Request from a player
1. The COA discussed that one of the players from the Men's Senior Team had made a request for permission for his wife to accompany him to the World Cup tour earlier than is otherwise permissible.
2. The CoA was informed that the matter is being discussed with the concerned player and that it may not be advisable to grant the request.
3. After some discussion, the CoA decided that it will not accede to the above request from the concerned player.
A BCCI source privy to the development confirmed to PTI that such a violation had indeed taken place.
"Yes, the same player in question, who was categorically denied permission during May 3 meeting, violated the 15-day rule during the World Cup. The question that arises here is whether the player in question had sought permission about the extra duration of stay of his wife from the competent authorities -- in this case the coach and the captain. The answer is a 'No'," the official said.
This infringement has not yet been reported to the Committee of Administrators (CoA) but there are serious questions being raised about the role of administrative manager Sunil Subramaniam as this was his domain and brief and he did nothing to veto the arrangement.
"What was Sunil Subramaniam doing? His job is not to monitor team's training sessions. The coach, captain and other support staff are there to oversee the arrangement. Hopefully, the CoA will take cognisance of the matter and seek a report from the manager," another senior BCCI official said.
