Sports ministry says BCCI chief should quit

Thursday, 30 May 2013 01:09 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

REUTERS: The sports ministry said India’s cricket chief should resign to avoid a conflict of interest, four days after police arrested his son-in-law in connection with an illegal betting scandal in a cricket league.

Pressure has mounted on N. Srinivasan, one of the world’s most influential cricket administrators, to quit his position on “moral grounds,” with two of the key members of the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) In India having also demanded he stand down earlier on Wednesday.

“There is a conflict of interest in this inquiry, therefore BCCI president should tender his resignation on moral grounds, pending the outcome of the inquiry,” the sports ministry said in a statement.

The ministry does not govern the BCCI but its comments add an official voice to media demands that Srinivasan should step down.

The Indian Premier League (IPL), the sport’s richest tournament, was embroiled in controversy earlier this month when police arrested three cricketers; Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and his Rajasthan Royals team mates Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila on suspicion of taking money to concede a fixed number of runs and police have intensified investigations to discover the extent of the scandal.

Police arrested Gurunath Meiyappan, Srinivasan’s son-in-law and a management member of the Chennai Super Kings IPL franchise, on Saturday for his alleged involvement in the illegal betting scandal.

The BCCI has set up a three-member panel to investigate the allegations.

Chennai Super Kings is owned by India Cements, a company headed by Srinivasan.