EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

We know how to tackle vested interests

44vinodrai

Exclusive interview/ Vinod Rai, chairman, Supreme Court-appointed committee of administrators, BCCI

What made you accept this responsibility?

First and foremost, I love the game of cricket. Moreover, there is no question of not accepting the role if the Supreme Court tells you to. You accept it with due humility because it is an honour to be selected by the Supreme Court.

Have you been following the legal battles the BCCI has been entangled in over the last two years?

Not very closely. But, I have been following it like any ordinary cricket lover. Whatever was happening was unfair to the game of cricket, to the players and the fans. Indian cricket was suffering in the bargain. Obviously, I go into it with my eyes open. The desire of all right-thinking people is to ensure that we provide good cricket for the fans and to ensure that genuine cricketers get a chance to play the game the way they would like to.

BCCI and other sports bodies have used autonomy as an excuse to cover up for lack of good governance, transparency and professionalism in Indian sports. Your views?

An NGO is always expected to be run by good governance standards, transparency and accountability, in fact, any institution is. It almost appeared as if the game was being hijacked by parties who were not administering cricket along ethical lines. Any institution—private or public—must be ethically governed and that is the entire purpose of this exercise. The game should be freed up from vested interests.

What do you think about the nature of the task that you have been given by the SC?

People have complicated things. I am convinced that we can sort it out. It will not even require too much effort. To put it in simple cricketing terms, we will play on the front foot with a totally straight bat.

There are vested interests. All of us are accustomed to it. We know how to tackle vested interests. None of us in the COA has any [personal] agenda. Our responsibility is to ensure that the SC order is implemented.

You mentioned vested interests. There is a lobby of cricket administrators affected by the SC order. Do you think the COA would face roadblocks?

I am not aware of any agenda or roadblock. If there are any stumbling blocks, we are accustomed to facing them. We know how to deal with them.

Our first priority is the IPL. The COA has taken steps to ensure it is conducted as per schedule. We want to ensure the IPL is delivered in a way which matches the expectations of cricket lovers and the stakeholders.

Barely four days into the job and the COA had to deal with the revenue sharing model at the ICC meeting. The numbers that it throws up is a touchy topic in India.

It is not a question of numbers. The revised revenue model was discussed and approved in the Special General Body Meeting of the BCCI. All state bodies accepted it. There are 10 full members of the ICC. India cannot take a stand and get overruled nine-to-one. We were very clear that no extreme position will be maintained in the ICC. Any revenue model proposed by the ICC and approved by the BCCI will be in the long-term sustainable interests of the game and Indian cricket.

All four members of the COA are from diverse backgrounds. You have held two meetings already. What was the experience like, while interacting with your colleagues?

Kudos to the SC for putting together such a fantastic team. None of us have any [personal] agenda. Our backgrounds may be diverse, but we have the best interests of the game at heart. We are committed to delivering a clean, well-governed, professional and transparent sport to the cricket-loving public of the country.

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Topics : #BCCI

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