What’s the story?
Mohammad Azharruddin’s nomination for the post of Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) president has been rejected today. “Yes, Azhar has filed his nomination before the returning office but the HCA hasn’t received any confirmation from the BCCI saying that his (Azharuddin’s) life ban is lifted,” said the outgoing HCA president Arshad Ayub.
Arshad Ayub had to vacate the state association’s office after the Supreme Court passed the order to implement the Lodha Committee recommendations.
The HCA had written to the BCCI asking whether Azharuddin’s life ban had been lifted or not to which the BCCI did not reply. Following these developments, the scrutiny officer rejected the former Indian captain’s nomination.
In case you didn’t know...
Azharuddin was the Indian captain when the infamous match-fixing scandal broke out in 2000. The former Indian captain was found guilty of the charges and was handed a life ban from involvement in any cricketing activity.
The heart of the matter
The 53-year-old had planned on entering the world of cricket administration. Subsequently, he filed his nomination for the HCA presidency. But there was confusion all around regarding Azharuddin’s eligibility to contest the elections.
Also Read: Mohammad Azharuddin files nomination for HCA’s top job
The outgoing HCA president had also earlier made it clear that Azhar did not meet the eligibility criteria of becoming the HCA president according to the state association’s rules. The rules state that one has to serve at least one term as an executive council member of the association and at least another as an office bearer. The 53-year-old Azhar had not been a part of the HCA previously to applying for the post of president.
What next?
Now that the air has been cleared over Azharuddin’s nomination, the HCA president elections will go ahead to find a new president. The selection process has to be in line with the Lodha Committee recommendations and the rules of the state association.
Sportskeeda’s take
Being involved in match-fixing is a heinous crime and defames the integrity of the player. The fans also lose their faith they entrust in the player.
Since the BCCI had imposed a life ban on Azhar for his unsportsmanlike conduct, the HCA has taken a right step to reject the former Indian captain’s nomination. The sporting administration bodies should have persons with a clean background at the top.
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