Conflict complaint received against Kohli, says BCCI ethics officer Jain
nMUMBAI:THE Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said on Sunday that it has received a complaint against India skipper Virat Kohli alleging conflict of interest. “I have received a complaint. I will examine it and then see if the case is made out or not. If yes, then I have to afford an opportunity to him (Kohli) to respond,” BCCI ethics officer, DK Jain, told PTI.
The complainant Sanjeev Gupta, life member of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association, had filed similar complaints in the past against Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Kapil Dev which were deemed “infructuous”.
Gupta has submitted that Kohli and Amit Arun Sajdeh are directors of Virat Kohli Sports LLP and Cornerstone Venture Partners LLP and that the second firm also has Binny Bharat Khimji as director. Gupta submitted that Sajdeh and Khimji are also directors/owners of Cornerstone Sport and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, a talent management company that manages the commercial interests of Kohli and players such as KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, Umesh Yadav and Kuldeep Yadav.
The complaint claims Kohli holding more than one post violates rule 38(4) of BCCI’S constitution. “Shri Virat Kohli is occupying two posts at a time in blatant violation to BCCI Rule 38 (4) approved by Supreme Court of India. As such, he must relinquish his one post at once in compliance...,” Gupta wrote.
HT sought a reaction from Cornerstone, but had not received a response till going to press.
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka batsman Kusal Mendis was arrested on Sunday after being allegedly involved in a fatal crash with a cyclist, who died instantly, just outside the country’s capital Colombo, police said. The 25-year-old was driving an SUV at Panadura before dawn when the incident happened, police said. Mendis has been named in the 16-player squad for a two-match home Test series against England in March but the tour was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. More than 3,000 people are killed annually in traffic accidents in Sri Lanka. A former spin bowler, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, was given a four-year suspended jail sentence for crashing into a woman pedestrian and killing her in 2003.
MADRID: Sergio Ramos scored his 22nd consecutive penalty on Sunday as Real Madrid held on for another 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao to inch closer to winning La Liga. Ramos’ fifth goal in seven games gives Madrid a seven-point lead over Barcelona, who later play an in-form Villarreal. Anything but a victory for Barca would probably leave them too much to do with four games remaining, especially as Madrid own the superior record head-to-head.
BERLIN: Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich kept their hopes of a treble alive after beating Bayer Leverkusen 4-2 at the Olympiastadion here on Saturday to win the German Cup for the 20th time. David Alaba gave Bayern the lead with a free kick in the 16th minute after Robert Lewandowski was fouled at the edge of the box with the defender’s effort sailing over the wall and beating the outstretched arm of goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky.
LONDON: Arsenal put a dent in Wolverhampton Wanderers’ hopes of a top-four finish as Bukayo Saka’s first Premier League goal helped them to an impressive 2-0 away victory on Saturday. The 18-year-old Saka’s controlled finish on the turn just before the end of a low-key first half put Arsenal ahead. Adama Traore fired over as in-form Wolves lacked the attacking potency that has put them in sight of a possible place in next season’s Champions League. Alexandre Lacazette came off the bench late on to secure the points for Mikel Arteta’s side with a clinical angled finish. Later, Chelsea retook their place in the top four as goals from Olivier Giroud, Willian and Ross Barkley capped a dominant display to beat Watford 3-0 and leave the Hornets still precariously placed just one point outside the relegation zone. Manchester United’s 5-2 win over Bournemouth saw Chelsea slip outside the top four but the Blues bounced back.