Mumbai, April 8
After its tough stance against badly-performing players, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) today stepped back today, saying that its decision to limit cricketers’ endorsements was not “sacrosanct” and that it was open to a reconsideration.
Board president Sharad Pawar is open to suggestions on the decision to limit endorsements to three for each player and would consult cricketers for which he has been authorised by the Working Committee, vice-president Rajiv Shukla said here.
Highly-placed board sources said the number of endorsements may be increased to five, a suggestion made by former skipper Kapil Dev who spoke to Pawar.
“It is not as if everything has been finalised. The decision allowing endorsement of only three products is not
sacrosanct. There is no intention to harm the players. At the same time, sensing the mood of the country there has to be some restrictions on the commercials,” Shukla said.
The board’s controversial decision yesterday to curtail the players’ product endorsements, estimated at about Rs 375 crores, and to scrap the graded contract system, has stung players, their agents and corporates. Threats of legal action have been voiced by the agents.
The players closed ranks today but offered an olive branch through skipper Rahul Dravid, who said there was no conflict between them and the BCCI.
On behalf of a “number of players” he had spoken to, Dravid proposed a “healthy dialogue” with the board to “crease out the irksome issues” and work out a
package that could take care of the “collective interests and concerns of the BCCI and the players.”
Keen to avoid a showdown with players, whom it had rapped on the knuckles for their disgraceful exit from the World Cup, the board promptly welcomed Dravid’s statement and said “any fair representation by the players can always be considered.”
The “irksome issues” Dravid was referring to were the board’s decision yesterday not to permit more than three endorsements by a player and scrapping of the graded system of contracts under which senior players were paid more than others.
These tough decisions by the BCCI to rein in cricket’s superstars has caused a stir among the players, their business managers and sponsors. Vague threats of legal action have been voiced on behalf of the sponsors.
Dravid was at pains to emphasise that it was not correct to “project this whole issue as a conflict of commercial interests of the players and the BCCI”.
He went on to praise the BCCI for always having been “caring and considerate” about the players’ interests. “I am sure that the BCCI would discuss the issue with the players at a suitable time”, he said in a statement.
“When this opportunity arises”, the captain said, “then we shall jointly examine the areas of concern and bother and crease out the irksome issues.”
Dravid said he had spoken to Ravi Shastri, who has been appointed manager of the team for next month’s tour of Bangladesh, and a number of players who all favoured a dialogue with the board.
Meanwhile, Dravid requested the media and fans to show some restraint. “We have had a disappointing World Cup and it is important that we all work together as various stakeholders in the game to help improve and take our cricket forward”.
Board secretary Niranjan Shah promised consideration to any “fair representation” by the players.
Threats of legal challenge to the curtailment of sponsorships did not appear to bother the board whose vice-president Shashank Manohar dismissed these by stating, “nothing will happen in court because the players are not models.”
The players hit most by the curtailment of endorsements are Tendulkar, who endorses Pepsi, Canon, MRF, Adidas and 10 other brands for an estimated annual income of Rs 45 crore, Dravid who endorses Pepsi, Sansui, Sahara and nine other brands for an estimated income of Rs 13 crore and Dhoni, who is estimated to earn Rs 8 crore by endorsing 15 brands, including Exide and Reebok.
— PTI
