COA to BCCI officials: Don’t threaten pullout without approval

THE SUPREME Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (COA) shot off an email to the BCCI office-bearers on Tuesday, informing them that they need the COA’S “prior approval” before sending any letter/notice to the ICC with regard to the Members Participation Agreement (MPA) between the world body and the Indian cricket board.

The COA directive comes on the heels of the BCCI decision to send a letter - reported by this paper - to the ICC, threatening to revoke the 2014 MPA and accordingly pulling out of all ICC events, starting with the upcoming Champions Trophy in England, during the ongoing 2015-2023 rights cycle.

The Indian board is peeved at its reduced revenue share of $293 million as per the global body’s new financial model, although it has an additional $100 million settlement offer on the table. The BCCI wants $570 million in accordance with the 2014 model that was based on contribution cost of individual Members.

“All letters, notices and other correspondence on behalf of the BCCI which seek to invoke or exercise any rights/remedies under the Members Participation Agreement entered into between the BCCI and the ICC Business Corporation FZ-LLC (“IBC”) shall only be issued with the prior approval of the Committee of Administrators,” the COA email said.

“The direction in Paragraph 1 above shall also apply to letters, notices and other correspondence which seek to invoke or exercise any rights/remedies against the International Cricket council (ICC),” it added.

Simply put, the COA has directed the BCCI not to pre-empt the Special General Meeting (SGM), scheduled on May 7, and issue a notice to the ICC, threatening to boycott all international cricket under the world body’s banner if India’s revenue share gets reduced. India was outvoted 13-1 on the new financial model in the last week’s ICC Board meeting and the SGM has been called to decide the BCCI’S future course of action.

The 2014 MPA, which is a legal document, allows an ICC Member to terminate the “Agreement as whole (but not in part only)” if among other things, there are changes, materially adverse to Member in terms of “the percentage of ‘Contribution Costs’ of IBC receivable by Member as approved by the IBC Board”. And some BCCI functionaries are adamant on sending the letter to the ICC at the soonest, pre-empting the SGM.

“We don’t agree with the COA’S understanding. No court order stops us from sending the letter to the ICC. Mind you, it’s not a termination letter. It would explain the BCCI’S position; what could happen if our revenue share is reduced. We have got written consent from the majority of our members in this regard,” said a BCCI functionary, stressing that pre-empting the SGM “is not (former BCCI president) N Srinivasan’s idea”.

But there’s a different and more reasonable school of thought within the BCCI as well. “The SGM is just five days away. So what’s the hurry? Why do you pre-empt the SGM, which is the official platform?” asked a cricket board member.

Revoking the MPA could have huge ramifications and according to a BCCI insider, it might put India’s biggest cricket brand, the IPL, in jeopardy. The overseas players’ participation in the IPL is subject to NOCS from their respective cricket boards and the BCCI might face isolation if it chooses to fight with the world.

“It’s better to negotiate with the ICC and find the middle ground, when you can more than offset the loss (from the ICC revenue share) by playing just three extra bilateral matches per year,” said the source.

The COA has directed the BCCI not to pre-empt the SGM scheduled on May 7, and issue a notice to the ICC, threatening to boycott all international cricket under the world body’s banner if India’s revenue share gets reduced. India was outvoted 131 on the new financial model. The SGM has been called to decide the BCCI’S future course of action.