Senior Indian cricketer violated 'family clause' during World Cup
Reports have surfaced that a senior Indian cricketer violated the 'family clause' during the recently concluded ICC World Cup 2019. The unnamed player had requested the Committee of Administrators (CoA) to let his wife stay with him for more than 15 days. And, despite his request being turned down, the player's wife stayed for the entire event. Here is more about it.
Player didn't seek permission from management
According to a report in PTI, it has been stated that the Indian cricketer did not seek permission from captain Virat Kohli or coach Ravi Shastri regarding the extended stay of his wife. The report added that prior to the player's request, the CoA in its meeting on May 3, 2019 had discussed the issue and denied the request.
What does the family clause state?
Post the CoA's meeting, it was clearly mentioned that, "The issue of whether the authority to approve any visits from visitors outside the 'visitor period' should vest with the captain and coach or with BCCI." The body further added, "It was noted that the BCCI management has traditionally decided these matters. The BCCI constitution requires cricketing and non-cricketing matters to be kept separate."
BCCI confirms that the violation happened
"Yes, the same player in question, who was categorically denied permission during May 3 meeting, violated the 15-day rule. The question that arises here is whether the player in question had sought permission about the extra duration of stay of his wife from the competent authorities -- in this case the coach and the captain. The answer is a No," the official said.
Focus is now on administrative manager Sunil Subramaniam
The CoA is yet to be informed. Also, questions have been raised about the conduct of administrative manager Sunil Subramaniam, as in why he did not veto the arrangement as this fell under his purview. "What was Sunil Subramaniam doing?" asked an official.
Kohli and Shastri had urged CoA to include this rule
Meanwhile, according to a report, Kohli and Shastri had urged the CoA to include a rule where families of players are not allowed to travel with the team during the first 20 days of any ICC tournament. They also requested families shouldn't travel in the team bus. It is yet to be seen what action the BCCI will take against this player.
