Published: May 24, 2013, 09:22 PM (IST)
Edited: May 24, 2013, 09:22 PM (IST)
Subrata Roy blamed N Srinivasan’s high-handed attitude for the fall-out between Sahara and BCCI © AFP
New Delhi: May 24, 2013
An upset Sahara Group chief Subrato Roy on Friday lashed out at N Srinivasan and stated that it will not sponsor the Indian cricket team as long as the beleaguered BCCI president stays at the helm.
“It’s really unfair, sad, irritating and disgusting. The last 13-14 years we had enjoyed such a harmonious relationship (with BCCI) till Shashank Manohar was there. But after that it is so disgusting,” said Roy, the owner of the Pune Warriors India franchise which has pulled out of the IPL over financial issues with the BCCI.
“We enjoyed such a good relation with BCCI till Shashank Manohar was there.”
Asked whether he will reconsider his decision to sponsor the Indian cricket team if Srinivasan is not at the helm, the Sahara chief said, “I will say yes to it.”
“Everything revolves around Srinivasan. He doesn’t know how to run a sports body like BCCI. A sports body chief shouldn’t have such egoistic attitude,” Roy told Times Now.
“This way one cannot work. If Sahara does anything wrong the entire responsibility is on me and if BCCI does anyhting wrong being the president it’s his responsibility.
“One should be at least civil, be courteous. I called him numerous time, even wrote to him but he didn’t bother to reply. This is not the way to promote a sport.
An upset Sahara Group chief vented his anger on the BCCI president and demanded that Chennai Super Kings, which is embroiled in the spot-fixing scandal, should be “scrapped immediately” from the the T20 league.
Questioning Srinivasan’s conflict of interest in the game, Roy said CSK’s contract should be terminated immediately in the wake of franchise owner Gurunath Meiyappan’s name cropping up in the spot-fixing scandal.
“If a franchise is involved in betting their contract should immediately be scrapped. If a owner is involved in betting it’s wrong,” he said.
Sahara Group pulled out of the domestic Twenty20 league and announced it would not renew its contract with the national team after the board encashed its bank guarantee for non-payment of franchise fee.
Sahara had failed to pay the amount of Rs 170 crore by May 19, but the fact that the BCCI didn’t heed to its request not to encash points to a lack of trust between two sides.
