BCCI dismisses the reports of CAC members demanding remuneration for their service

What's the story?

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has put an end to all rumours of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly demanding remuneration for selecting the head coach of team India. A press release by BCCI has directly addressed Indian Express and ridiculed the reports published in it by stating that the article has malicious content and is an incorrect move to misrepresent the contribution of these former Indian legends.

CEO of BCCI, Rahul Johri, said in the release, “The Indian Express Newspaper of 11^th June (today), carries a news item stating that there was a claim by the members of the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) for being compensated for their meetings held to select a head coach for the Indian Cricket team.”

“BCCI wishes to clarify that there has been no such claim and the story carried by the newspaper is totally baseless and devoid of facts,” he added.

In case you didn't know...

Sachin, Laxman and Ganguly are a part of CAC that is working on the process of selecting the head coach of Indian Cricket team from a pool of shortlisted applicants. Indian Express reported that the three players have demanded remuneration for their service. BCCI, on the other hand, clarified that the news is completely made up and bears no facts in its contents.

The heart of the matter

Anil Kumble's term as the head coach of the Indian Cricket team is set to end in June and BCCI had invited applications from veterans who wished to apply for the job. CAC comprising of the three former Indian legends has taken up the job to select the new coach. Reports suggest that Kumble will continue as the coach of the Indian Cricket team as he is most likely to go along with the team for the West Indies tour.

Indian Express carried out a news piece claiming that members of CAC demanded fees from the board in return for this job and was slammed by BCCI for publishing false reports. BCCI also stressed upon the fact that the guidance and recommendations from this committee were very valuable for the betterment of Indian Cricket.

The Board also urged the newspaper to withdraw the article and make the suitable amends.

What's next?

It was a good move by BCCI to come forward and clear all the speculation of these former Indian cricketers demanding fees from the Board. As urged by the Board, Indian Express could remove the article. BCCI's clarification has officially placed the news piece in a false position.

Author's take

Since the time BCCI announced the possibilities of the Indian Cricket team getting a new coach, rumours have been doing the rounds. From feuds between the captain and the coach to Kumble unwilling to continue as coach, we saw it all. Surely, there are no more controversies required around the same topic.

This subject might attract a lot of viewers, but false reports about one's duties and work ethics is a compromise with the journalism standards that a media house beholds. The purpose is to communicate information and not build a new network of controversies every day which will further compromise the seriousness of the issue. Cricketers who devoted the prime of their career for the national duty deserve a small round of fact check before getting fictional tales published about them.