Very rarely does the state of Goa and its cricket, take more than a blink of an eyelid of the BCCI’s time, as it were, in matters of cricket. There are no players to pick for from any of the three formats, T20, ODI’s and Tests, their Ranji Trophy performances are so weak that national selectors do not feel inspired to watch Goa in action, and the Goa Cricket Association struggles to even get a quality coach to handle the team even for brief periods.
However on a black Wednesday for Goa’s cricket, the highest echelons of the BCCI were shaken and stirred, when the President, Secretary and the Treasurer of the Goa Cricket Association were arrested for officially committing fraud. What they have been charged with is not a case of simple fraud. It is plain robbery. Their alleged acts amount to plain and simple theft. A Rs 2.87 crore cheque was issued by the BCCI to the Goa Cricket Association (as it does to all associations) for the promotion and development of the game in Goa. This amount came from the amount paid to BCCI as TV rights paid to the BCCI by the official broadcaster for the Indian Premier League. Preliminary investigations show that Messers Chetan Desai, Vinod Phadke and Akbar Mullah, the current President, Secretary and Treasurer of the GCA, opened a new account in the name of the GCA, adding themselves as signatories. where the cheque of RS.2.87 crore was deposited, and not in the GCA official account. And a paper trail and bank statements (all in possession of Herald) , show that the cheque was deposited a day after the account was opened. That has been the only credit into that account so far and all the withdrawals from the account, amounting to lakhs in most cases, have been cash withdrawals through bearer cheques. While the cheque of Rs 2.87 crores, issued to GCA shows up in BCCI’s accounts it doesn’t reflect in GCA’s official account. There was a further misappropriation from another account of GCA, of Rs 26 lakhs, where payment to a third party supposedly made by GCA, did not reach the party. Instead cheques to the tune of Rs 26 lakhs (the bill amount) were drawn in the name of individuals, fictitiously towards that bill amount, and obviously siphoned off.
It is highly unlikely that others in the GCA, including its then president Dayanand Narvekar were not aware of these transactions. Which brings us to a very sad conclusion. The Goa Cricket Association has been essentially run by individuals with vested interests in increasing their own profits by pilfering amounts meant for the development of the game. The fat cats of GCA have bought high-end cars, travelled first class and stayed at five-star hotels to ostensibly watch games, paid themselves lavishly and awarded marked up contracts for projects and equipment, at the costs of players and the game.
On one hand, there isn’t a grassroots programme of standard that is needed to develop future team India players, there isn’t a cricket stadium where an international game can be played, and training facilities need huge augmentation. On the other hand, officials who move around in swank officials cars and travel the world (as we have seen now) allegedly steal money meant for the development of cricket and become cash rich.
While the alleged act of stealing, in a manner so brazen, tops the list of shameful acts, the larger disease is the manner in which sporting organisations in Goa used as milch cows by the powerful, including political parties. Former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had a direct hand in the removal of former GCA president, the former Deputy Chief Minister of Goa, Dayanand Narvekar, in a coup engineered by his own man, oncologist Dr Shekhar Salkar. Salkar in turn was toppled and ousted by the present dispensation of the GCA who are now arrested. The complaint on the basis of which this current FIR of fraud of Rs 2.87 crores was filed by Vilas Desai, former treasurer, who is known to be a close acolyte of Subhash Phaldesai, the BJP MLA from Sanguem. Therefore while the Government is officially out of the running of the independent GCA, it is the ruling party and other political interests which rule the association and work almost always against the game and the players.
However the alleged act of the arrested accused top officials of the GCA has shamed not just cricket and sport in Goa but the land itself. If Goa is increasingly adding the dubious feather of corruption to its crown of thorns, which includes prostitution and drugs, the act of Goa’s cricket officials has immensely contributed to this.
