Muthiah clarifies on players selection

There is still a glimmer of hope for players whose names have been making the rounds in the match-fixing allegations if one goes by the statement made by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president AC Muthiah.

In a candid interview to the media, Muthiah said the board has no plans as such to drop the players against whom a probe is being conducted. When asked by reporters in New Delhi on Sunday, the BCCI president quipped "On what grounds can a player be dropped? If on merit they are selected, how can I stop them from playing for the country. As things stand today, on what grounds can I tell them not to play? They have not been proven guilty." He however added that if players are found guilty "then we will not allow them to play." It may be pointed out that Union Sports Minister Dhindsa had earlier made a suggestion that the Board should not pick players who are being investigated till their names are cleared.

Muthiah who is New Delhi to meet Dhindsa to submit a vision report on August 1 agreed with the Minister on stripping all national honours and awards given to tainted players if they were found guilty. He went a step further saying "We have decided, as a penalty for the guilty, we'll erase all records and revoke the awards."

Muthiah said he was not in favour of a 'watchdog' for foreign tours. "No, there is no such proposal. The administrative manager will be responsible to guide the boys on their tours." He said that BCCI officials have been called by the CBI for a meeting. ``They (CBI) are finalising the report and after that only, can we see what measures are required to be taken." When asked whether the board received any response to the show cause notice issued to former BCCI president IS Bindra, Muthiah's response was in the negative.

Clarifying on the documents, especially the fixed deposits worth Rs.98 crores seized during the IT raids at the BCCI treasurer Kishore Rungta's office, Muthiah said the amount belonged to the board. He confirmed that "It is the board's money kept in the board treasurer's office. It's all published accounts. It's transparent." The BCCI president said since the Board office in Mumbai was very small, the Board's financial documents are kept at the residence of its treasurer.

On the IT raids, Muthiah was critical of the manner in which the officials conducted the raids. He opined that "As far as board offices were concerned, the raids were uncalled for. We were prepared to give all the necessary information they wanted."

In a related development, Income Tax sources said the temporary halt in the ongoing probe is set to gain momentum in the coming days after the players return from England. Indian players Mohd. Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja, Kapil Dev and Nikhil Chopra are expected to return this week after participating in a charity match played at the Oval on July 29.

Meanwhile, former Indian allrounder and sitting Rajya Sabha MP, Kirti Azad came out in favour of the Government taking over the BCCI. In a press release, Azad criticised the functioning of the board saying that it was "the worst offender" in the scandal and wanted the government to handle the board's affairs.

Coming down heavily on the board, Azad said "The game has fallen into disrepute under the present management. I strongly urge the Government to take over the affairs of BCCI till such time as a new constitution is drafted and fresh officials elected." He added "the game of cricket was like a religion in India, match-fixing charges and allegations of corruption against players and officials have destroyed the people's faith in the game. In all this (match-fixing controversy and corruption charges), the board in the worst offender. It has devalued the game and presided over the gross commercialisation and corruption."