Published: May 07, 2016, 02:23 PM (IST)
Edited: May 07, 2016, 02:45 PM (IST)
A Bulgarian tv channel’s sting operation revealed perhaps the most disheartening news the Bulgarian cricket could ever get. In the video, the President of Bulgarian Cricket Federation (BCF), Nikolay Kolev was seen offering sex for better marks to a student while holding the post of a lecturer in the National Sports Academy (NSA). NSA is one of the prime institutes of Bulgaria for one to build a career in sports as coach or support stuff and Kolev has been associated with the institute for over a decade while he later was made the dean of the same. READ: Shane Warne accused of another sex scandal
While following the revelation, Kolev has been sacked from his post in NSA, International Cricket Council (ICC) is yet to make any statement. As reported by Cricbuzz, an ICC official told, “As police are investigating the incident, at this point we can’t make any comment relating to the allegations”.
Formed in 2002, the BCF were given the Affiliate membership in the year 2008. Their annual budget sums around € 33000, a big portion of which is provided by ICC itself about which, a source in BCF revealed, “They do nothing, absolutely nothing with this amount of money, and at the end of the year, they say that they have spent the money.”
There has been many other issues that give rise to many questions. BCF has eight member clubs working under them, while in reality, only three clubs are active, namely National Sports Academy, Kovachite Gabrovo and United Cricket Club- reports suggest.
The other major issue that is affecting Bulgaria cricket is racism. Stoyan Iankov, chairman of Sofia Cricket Club which was banned in the year 2013, said, “Coaches in the past have made very ugly and racial abuse to players from India and Pakistan. Five or six years ago, Kolev and the people around him were absolutely clear when they told me that no one from the ‘blacks’ will have any influence in the future of Bulgarian cricket. Indeed, no one (from a sub-continent background) has an important position in the BCF.”
Saif Rahman, president of United Cricket Club in Sofia, said something quite similar to Iankov which supports the allegations. “”Racism is not direct but there is a reason why there has been a lack of Indians and Pakistanis playing cricket. The BCF has always removed them from tournaments.”
He also spoke about the Kolev scandal. “The sex scandal was embarrassing and has also affected cricket’s name in this country. He (Kolev) should resign from his position as president of BCF. If we compare with very similar federation, like Serbia, Bulgaria has not properly developed. There is some interest with cricket here but much more could be done. It’s a big, big shame.”
