Will the World Cup be fixed?

With just a handful of days before the start of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, claims that fixers targeted Nigeria's warm-up game against Scotland could not have come at a worse time.

Following other recent revelations, football's integrity is already in the spotlight, although the World Cup itself has remained stain-free.

Surely the fixers would shy away from such a high-profile tournament, watched by billions around the planet and with football's governing body on red alert for corruption?

Not so, according to Ralf Mutschke, Fifa's head of security.

The former Interpol executive and police officer says he cannot give the World Cup a clean bill of health and has even identified the matches that carry the greatest risk.

According to Mutschke, the following is all true:

·         Certain teams and groups have already been identified as vulnerable to fixers

·         The last round of group matches, involving teams with nothing to play for, are most in danger

·         Warm-up games are also under threat

·         Fixers have already approached players and referees

·         The fix of choice will focus on the number of goals in a match

For the last two years, Mutschke and his team have been planning meticulously to prevent World Cup games from falling victim to the fixers.

"We are not expecting fixers to be travelling to Brazil and knocking on the hotel door of players or referees, but I know there will have been approaches to players and referees," he says.

"I cannot tell you the teams we are watching most closely. I can't tell you the groups which we are watching most closely. But I will say that England's group is not the highest risk."

As part of Mutschke's anti-fixing campaign, each World Cup game will get a rating for potential corruption, determined by intelligence and past history.

"Everyone has a history," he says. "Teams have history, players have history, refs have history. We know warm-up matches were thrown in the last World Cup, so that is also useful information to help us counter  things."

Match-fixers are most likely to entice players or referees to influence two betting markets: the Asian handicap and the over-under goals market.

More than 99% of wagers in Asia will be placed on these two markets. On the Asian handicap, teams are handicapped according to their form, so a stronger team must win by more goals for a bet to be successful.

Over-under markets are simpler. Gamblers are given the opportunity to bet higher or lower on 2.5 goals, 3.5 goals and so on.

"I would say I am most worried about these two markets," Mutschke said. "The match result is a possibility, but it is much harder to organise because you need so many players. With the Asian handicap or over-under, you may only need the referee or one or two players."

Mutschke and his team intend to speak to every team and match official when they arrive in Brazil for the World Cup, which begins on 12 June.

"We had training sessions with referees in Zurich," he says. "We are also going to meet them prior to kick off in Rio and we also will visit the team and players for security sessions. We will give them a reminder to report an approach from fixers.

"We'll establish reporting channels for athletes and officials. We'll also be bringing an integrity manager who will coordinate those measures with Fifa's Early Warning System (EWS), which monitors betting patterns."

What happens when those reporting channels bear fruit or, during a match, the EWS alerts investigators to corruption?

"We have an officer in the stadium and he will act on my decision," says Mutschke. "It will depend on the information and the response required.

"He can just monitor the situation regarding players, referees, others. He could approach people during half-time or directly after the game. He also can use technical equipment to identify possible fixers in the stadium."

Mutschke says fixers have become bolder in their attempt to rig contests, making up-front offers to players and officials rather than attempting to groom them over time.

"I've had reports that people are approaching players and offering $20,000 without a grooming period," he says. "Before, it was all about grooming, getting closer to the target, but we have a lot of records now about cold approaches. They go to the player or ref and offer money to throw a match. If he does not agree, they go to the next guy. This happens very often. It's pretty bold."

Chris Eaton, Mutschke's predecessor at Fifa, believes the threat level at the World Cup to be "low" but says criminals could be tempted by the huge rewards that are potentially on offer.

"It's low because of the size of the event," says Eaton, now head of the International Centre for Sport and Security (ICCS). "That's a dissuader to fixers. It's easier for them to target minor European leagues or international friendlies.

"Nevertheless, the amount gambled on the World Cup will run into any many billions of dollars and the criminal mindset is one which will not be able to ignore the opportunity."

With the betting market in Asia expected to turn over close to $1bn per match when the action begins, it is not hard to see why.

To put that sum into context, the regulated industry in the United Kingdom expects close to a £1bn bonanza for the whole tournament, making it comfortably the biggest betting event of all time.

Eaton's ICCS recently teamed up with the Sorbonne University in Paris to analyse the anatomy of corruption in sport.

A report released earlier this month estimated that organised crime launders £85bn a year through betting corruption on sport.

It is the sheer weight of money involved that makes it easy for criminals to remain untraceable, according to Dr Andrew Harvey.

For the last two years, he has been working with FifPro, the world player's union, to prevent corruption. "The high liquidity of the market would make it attractive to fixing as it enables large bets to be hidden more effectively," says Harvey. "That will be attractive to a potential fixer.

"Yes, all matches will be covered by the Fifa EWS betting monitoring system, making it harder to get bets on, but it won't be impossible as the systems cannot monitor betting volumes on the unregulated markets."

Mutschke, Eaton and Harvey may all differ on the threat level to the World Cup, but they agree on one aspect: the tournament may be the pinnacle of a player or referee's career, but it does not mean it will not be fixed.

This article was first published by the BBC on May 29 

Ravi Bopara faced match-fixing inquiry into Bangladesh Premier League

Ravi Bopara, the England and Essex batsman, was investigated by the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) after an inquiry into this year’s Bangladesh Premier League and was almost suspended for an alleged failure to supply various documents 12 months before last summer’s Champions Trophy.

Bopara, who has played 94 one-day internationals and 13 Tests, was cleared of any wrongdoing. He had been asked to supply bank and phone statements, and was interviewed for two hours.

Another English player was understood to have been under suspicion during the investigation, which culminated in nine players being charged, including Darren Stevens, the Kent all-rounder. Stevens has been accused of failing to report an illegal approach. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Although Bopara is innocent, the incident will cause alarm in England as it is proof that corruption ­allegations are not an issue restricted to the sub-continent. Last year, Mervyn Westfield, the Essex bowler, was jailed for spot-fixing in a domestic one-day match.

The ECB may be concerned that a player with such a profile as Bopara has come under the microscope and could stiffen its resolve not to allow players to appear in franchise Twenty20 competitions, wary that they could be vulnerable to match-fixing rings.

Bopara, who is playing for six weeks for Prime Bank in the Dhaka Premier Division, a 50-over league, was a member of the Chittagong Kings franchise in the BPL, which ran for a month from January 18. The 28-year-old was asked by the ACSU on February 15 to hand over his bank statements for the previous 12 months, three years of phone records and his mobile phones, including Sim cards.

He was unable to comply until before the start of the Champions Trophy in June because he was abroad, first in Bangladesh, then in South Africa, where he appeared for the Dolphins in their Twenty20 competition. He was within seven days of being suspended by the ICC  because all players sign a code of conduct that allows access to such information.

On its database, the ACSU holds the telephone numbers of match-fixers and would have cross-referenced these with any calls Bopara made or received. Bank statements would have been scrutinised for suspicious payments. Andy Flower, the England team director, was aware of the inquiry.

Bopara was cleared to play in the Champions Trophy once his lawyer, Yasin Patel, liaised with the ACSU. “The delay was caused because he couldn’t access hard copies of the information as he was travelling the world doing his job,” Patel said. 

“Then, when he was back in England ..... he endured a two-hour interview with ACSU  and ECB representatives which finished at around two in the morning.

“He had no legal representation and it was more like an interrogation. There are no safeguards or protections for the players whatsoever. They are conducting police-like interviews, and that is neither moral nor correct.”

ECB officials helped to “facilitate” the meeting, but have not been contacted about it since by the ACSU. It is understood that David Collier, the ECB chief executive, telephoned Bopara to “remind him of his responsibilities”.

Patel believes that the ACSU’s approach will hamper attempts to clean up the game. “The ACSU rely on players coming forward to share information about match-fixing. Which player will want to do that [now]?” he said.

This article was first published in The Ties on October 26 2013 

Srini's son-in-law passed on betting information about other teams and players

THE IPL betting conspiracy involving Gurunath Meiyappan, the son-in-law of BCCI chief N Srinivasan, has spread to the whole tournament with a Mumbai Crime Branch Report stating that the Chennai Super Kings manager was passing on information to bookmakers about other teams and some of the world’s superstar players.

In an escalation of the crisis, there is evidence that Meiyappan discussed match results, innings totals for games not involving the Super Kings and the form of superstar players such as Virender Sehwag, Chris Gayle, Dale Steyn and Siddharth Trivedi, who was carpeted for fixing.

The report also reveals that Meiyappan bet 1.4 crores on the Super Kings to lose against Rajasthan Royals on May 12 2013, a match which was called into question by the Mudgal Report into IPL corruption.

Meiyappan was found by the court-appointed committee to have indulged in betting and passing on information, as alleged, and has been proved to be the team official of Chennai Super Kings. The committee, led by Justice Mukul Mudgal, submitted its final report to the Supreme Court with the proviso that it was for the court to decide on any action to be taken.

But the Mumbai’s police report to Justice Mukul Mudgal shows that Meiyappan’s gambling activity extends beyond Chennai.

After lawfully recording conversations between Meiyappan and Vindoo Dara Singh, who was part of an India-wide network of bookies which also extended to the UAE and Pakistan, Mumbai police concluded that Meiyappan was in breach of the IPL Code of Conduct and Section 130 of the Mahrashtra Police Act ‘Cheating at Games’.

But it is the amount of inside information that Meiyappan was privy to that will cause concern for cricket fans. Between April 30 and May 16 there were 240 calls between him and Vindoo. Between May 12-15 according to the report “almost all intercepted calls...related to betting on matches.”

On May 12 Meiyappan told Vindoo Bangalore would score 190 against Kolkata and “then there bowling will come...Kolkata come to 150.” Bangalore actually made  115-9 and lost by five wickets.

Three days later, Vindoo spoke with another bookmaker, Pawan Jaipur, and told him that Meiyappan had said that Kolkata would beat Pune Warriors on that day. Meiyappan was wrong as KKR lost by seven runs.

Another conversation on May 14 showed Meiyappan telling Vindoo that there “were no other changes in the team”. 

Meiyappan also gave information to Vindoo during matches from May 12-14. Gayle would “get runs” for Bangalore against KKR on the 12^th and during the same match he described Trivedi as a “chucker” and “tough to play”. The next day he said that Steyn was “crucial” if Sunrisers Hyderabad were to beat Mumbai Indians.

Damningly, Meiyappan revealed the strategy of his own Super Kings players to the bookie. During play in the match against Rajasthan, Meiyappan said that Ravindra Jadeja would not lose his wicket. He remained not out.

And two days later for the contest against Delhi Daredevils, Meiyappan complained that Sehwag would “bat like an animal” and said that if his team’s bowler, Mohit Sharma, “has one bad day...DD will get runs.” Earlier, he had spoken to Vindoo and had passed on team news. “No other change...I am giving you weak link in bowling.”

He was also exposed for the huge sums that he bet on Super Kings to lose in the tainted Rajasthan game and discussing with Vindoo during play the best strategy for making the most money.

Before the match, the report confirms that Meiyappan told Vindoo the Super Kings would score 130-140 (they made 141) and that he had placed 20 lakh on Rajasthan to win.

He then places another bet, of 30 lakh, on Rajasthan at 21.09hrs. There are two further 30 lakh bets on Rajasthan recorded at 21.16hrs and 21.20.

In a further breach of the anti-corruption code, Meiyappan tells Vindoo of the state of the wicket in Ranchi and weather reports for Chennai. There are also calls in which Vindoo asks for more information about Super Kings strategy.

In another worrying link, the report states that Vindoo and Asad Rauf, the Pakistan international umpire spoke 80 times on a cell phone. Rauf was described as “most wanted” after he was recorded placing bets on IPL matches and passing on inside information.

Rauf, who was shown to also be in contact with Pawan Jaipur and had received gifts from him, invoiced the BCCI $58,208 for officiating in 16 matches during IPL, three of which involved Super Kings.

A version of this article was published in the Economic Times on March 7

Inside the BCCI: Cronyism and intimidation Srinivasan's plan for world domination

Good governance is not themost inspiring of terms whenit comes to sport. It doesn't getbacksides off bucket seats or rouse a roar from the craw. Bad governance is quite the opposite. It can infect the faithful with apathy, leaving once clicking turnstiles to rust in rigidity. The average fan accepts that administrators will enjoy the poshest and plushest seats for pivotal games. In return, the least he expects is that his beloved sport will be run with an ethos that has placed at its heart dignity, transparency and sound business practice.

In BCCI, these seem to have been replaced by totalitarianism, cronyism and intimidation. Internal BCCI emails seen by this writer provide a fascinating insight into its working and paint a bleak future not only for Indian cricket but the world game now stalked by N. Srinivasan. 

The BCCI president, despite being mired in controversy, was named as the next ICC chief on February 8. He will take over as chairman in July.

If BCCI sneezes, world cricket catches a cold. The sniffles may have just begun. IPL is losing money and Justice Mukul Mudgal's report has exposed a link between the supposed guardian of the game and illegal gambling, the menace that encourages the scourge of match-fixing. 

Srinivasan is supposed to be whiter than white; his privileged position demands it. Yet his son-in-law, Gurunath Meiyyapan, has been accused of betting on matches involving the that team he managed, the Chennai Super Kings. The IPL team, of course, is owned by Srinivasan. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Super Kings and Team India captain and a vice-president of India Cements, a Srinivasan firm, was also embroiled in the scandal when he was named in a police report for having agreed that Chennai would score 130-140 runs in an IPL match against Rajasthan Royals. They scored 141 and lost the match. 

Ordinarily, the world would sigh and reckon this was another example of India's feeble betting laws and 'favour culture' sullying cricket's good name. But they are sitting up, wary because Srinivasan effectively runs the game after having carved up ICC for consumption in a power grab with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Australia (CA). The poor will get poorer and the rich are supposed to get richer in the revamped ICC. 

What of its governance? All decisions will be taken by BCCI, ECB and CA and the rest will fall in line. That BCCI has been shown to be corrupt means cricket, from Colombo to the Caribbean, Lord's to Lahore, teeters on the edge of abyss. From these emails and missives, it is possible to go inside BCCI and see how dark that void could be. They suggest an all-powerful Srinivasan; they betray a lack of rigid structure that successful organisations are founded on.

In a letter dated May 8, 2013 to Alan Isaac, president of ICC, Srinivasan delivers a thinly-veiled threat for lack of support in the row over the election of L. Sivaramakrishnan, said to be an India Cements employee, as players' representative to ICC Cricket Committee at the expense of Federation of International Cricketers Association head Tim May. 

"I do not really mind if ICC management wishes to remain silent if they are sympathetic to the FICA media campaign," Srinivasan writes. "However, we'll truly treat this as a defining moment in the relationship we have with ICC management. We're not going to let this blatantly unfair attack of FICA with ICC a silent spectator go without a response in into the vote and claimed that captains from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe had been told to choose Sivaramakrishnan in a re-vote after May had been returned."

 It was alleged BCCI had used its financial power to coerce the boards into voting its way. This puts into context an email exchange between Dhoni and Geoff Allardice of ICC with the former irked that he has to vote again. "It's L. Shivaramakrishnan (sic) but how is it that from the previous mail Sanga's (Sri Lankan cricketer Kumar Sangakkara, another contender for the job) name gets picked but Shiva's doesn't."

Since Dhoni is close to Srinivasan, it is possible he was following orders. If this exemplifies Srinivasan flexing his muscles, then two emails from April 2013 show an apparent disrespect for the protocol of his own organisation. On April 15, Peter Griffiths of IMG, which helps run IPL, wrote to BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale to appoint a commission to hear a complaint under IPL 2013 operational rules. 

The rules mandate BCCI secretary to pick the members. But five days later, he got this email from Tamil Nadu Cricket Association secretary Kasi Viswanathan: "I am reproducing the message written by the President to you: 'Sanjay, Rajiv Shukla, Ajay Shirke and Ravi Shastri may hear the complaint. N Srinivasan'." 

Jagdale and Shirke quit on May 31 to protest the board's handling of the scandal. Now Jagdale says he had "no problem" with the way BCCI was run.

In another sidestepping of hierarchy, Prasanna Kannan, IPL chief financial officer who is reported to be an employee of India Cements, informs Jagdale of the appointments for home series against England, Pakistan only on April 4, 2013, long after these had been held in late 2012 and early 2013.

It is irregular that the secretary would not have made the appointments himself and it raises the question as to what exactly did this have to do with an IPL official. Kannan, it begs mention, assisted Srinivasan in his 'co-operation' with the Mudgal panel.

The spot-fixing scandal and mounting evidence of BCCI's disregard for what is proper has turned fans away from IPL. Since the first edition in 2008, its TV rating has dropped from 4.8 per cent to 2.9 per cent. "About $1 billion worth of IPL's brand value has been destroyed by such controversies and lack of governance," says Unni Krishnan, a global strategy director at London-based brand valuation consultancy Brand Finance.

This is worrying for world cricket now that its purse strings are held by BCCI and Srinivasan, as detailed in the revamp proposal, Final Position Paper, drafted by Srinivasan's secretary, which will ensure every member bar England, Australia and India is worse off. 

"Srini knew he could control everything. He says Haroon Lorgat should not be running South Africa's board and Lorgat is suspended. He says DRS is not acceptable, so it isn't. He runs ICC," says I.S. Bindra, the veteran administrator who has served both BCCI and ICC. "In my time, Jagmohan Dalmiya was the godfather. Srini wanted to follow him in spirit. But Srini is more dangerous because he has more resources. He told me he wanted to be the next Dalmiya." 

That doesn't bode well for cricket.

This article was first published in India Today Magazine, March 7

Exclusive: Asad Rauf 'bet with Meiyappan's bookie on games he officiated in'

A Mumbai police report which details how Asad Rauf, the Pakistan international umpire, bet on matches in which he was officiating with the same betting syndicate as Gurunath Meiyappan, has deepened the corruption crisis in the Indian Premier League.

Rauf was named as “wanted accused” by police in September last year following allegations of betting corruption in the 2013 tournament but only now has it come to light the extent of his involvement.

According to a report by the Mumbai Crime Branch which was presented to the IPL Probe Committee, Rauf, 57, was shown to have passed on match information in four matches and received gifts from bookmakers.

The allegations are likely to further embarrass N Srinivasan. As the head of the BCCI and the de facto supremo of the world game after a power grab at the ICC, Srinivasan’s reputation was damaged when Meiyappan, his son-in-law and manager of the franchise he owns, Chennai Super Kings, was found to be passing on information to a betting ring.

Damagingly, Rauf has been linked to the same bookies’ go-between who Meiyappan was working with. Between April 12 and May 17 last year, police intercepted 80 telephone conversations between Rauf and Vindoo Dara Singh during their investigation into Meiyappan. Vindoo is an actor who, according to the report, has links to bookmakers in India, Dubai and Pakistan.

The depth of Rauf’s apparent involvement is likely to stun cricket fans. The report’s pages claim that the ICC elite panel umpire, who has not officiated in an international match since last March, placed bets with Vindoo and boasted of providing information to two bookies Pawan and Sanjay Jaipur, who were implicated in the spot-fixing scandal involving Rajasthan Royals.

Police state that the telephone Rauf was using was revealed to be subscribed in the name of Sunil Kumar Naryanan, of Bangalore, who is “an acquaintance of bookie Sanjay Jaipur and provided to umpire Rauf by Sanjay Jaipur”. It is alleged that Rauf “spoke to bookies Prem Taneja, Pawan and Sanjay Jaipur”.

One of the recorded calls reveals that he asked Vindoo about the betting odds for Rajasthan versus Chennai on May 12, the game which the IPL Probe Committee said warranted investigation for corruption. Rauf asked for a Rs 50,000 (almost £500) wager and he is also taped giving pitch information, saying it is “difficult”.

The next day, May 13, Rauf tells Vindoo to bet on both sides in the Mumbai v Hyderabad match, informing him that he is the TV umpire. Later he boasts about getting the match result right and discusses a gold chain that he was promised as a reward for providing information.

On May 15, Rauf tells Vindoo “Aaj Zindagi Ki Har jeet Kar Lena”, which in the context can be translated as a once in a lifetime opportunity to place bets. Vindoo then calls bookmaker Pawan Jaipur to pass on that advice, telling him that the costs of all his gifts to Rauf “would recover in the match on that day”, a reference to the evening match between Mumbai and Rajasthan in which Rauf is umpiring. Rauf says that that Kolkata’s run chase target of 171 against Pune that day is “too stiff”.

The report also reveals details of another call on the same day, stating that Sanjay Jaipur “asserted that he would place bets for the match that was scheduled in the evening only as instructed by him [Rauf]”.

Police list the “gifts” that Rauf received from Sanjay and Pawan Jaipur, as a leather purse, hair trimmer, ladies dress material, pairs of jeans/trousers/shorts/pants, shirts/t-shirts, a pen and leather belts.

Other accusations include that Rauf talked to Vindoo about the betting odds for Chennai v Delhi and how he boasted about providing information to Sanjay Jaipur. He also says that he saved Tanjea, a bookie, from bankruptcy and told how Vindoo should “extract Rs 2 lacs for his [Rauf’s] shopping from Pawan Jaipur.

The interception appears to come to end on May 16 when Vindoo tells Rauf to destroy his SIM card.

Under the code of conduct for umpires it is an offence for them to engage directly, or indirectly in betting.

Rauf, who has stood in 170 internationals, vehemently denied the allegations. He described them as “bullshit” but he admitted that Vindoo was his friend and said that he knew “one of the Jaipur brothers who had sent me gifts for my birthday”. He claims to have co-operated fully with the ICC’s anti-corruption unit on the matter.

“None of this is true,” he said. “If the police record the conversations of angels then they will also hear some bad words. I have lots of friends and I can’t be held accountable for what they do in their private life. Every second person gambles in this part of the world.

“I have never compromised my job as an umpire by doing any cheating. Everyone will tell you I’m honest in my career. I did nothing wrong during that tournament and Vindoo will tell you the same. I didn’t place any bets and I didn’t tell him anything of interest about matches. ”

The Mudgal Report: behind the story of a scandal

At two volumes and 169 pages the Justice Mudgal report into the allegations of betting and corruption in the sixth season of the IPL, can be a bit of a heavy read. So we are grateful for the headlines over the last few days which have succinctly informed us of the crashing conflict of interests in the BCCI and the grubby presence of fixing.

Indian cricket is in a dreadful state under the stewardship of N Srinivasan who commands the BCCI, Chennai Super Kings and Indian Cements. It is an unholy trinity which could very well threaten the future of the world game considering Srinivasan now, effectively, runs that as well. 

Frankly, world cricket should be up in collective arms. That they are not more than hints of the powerful grip that Srinivasan holds. 

There has been much coverage in the wake of the report's publication. But for students of the horrible side of the game the pages are still worth sifting through. And the morsels which can be picked out tantalise and, ultimately, leave a bitter taste.

So here are a few of the stories behind the report (although one I have left out for possible expose in a national newspaper). You should note that in bold are quotes lifted from the text and underneath are snippets prised from under the fingernails of this mucky business...

The committee has interacted with several persons who are listed below:
32 Mr N Srinivasan assisted by Mr Prasanna Kannan – President BCCI and director of India Cements

Kannan has been reported as being an employee of India Cements. He was also CFO of IPL and during this role sent apparent orders to the BCCI secretary with regard to the national team which were outside of traditional remit.

“The role of Gurunath Meiyappan in Chennai Super Kings Dhoni, Srinivasan and officials of India Cements took the stand that Mr Meiyappan had nothing to do with cricketing affairs of CSK and was a mere enthusiast.”

A nice try. Shame that the this video exists. It's actually almost funny.

“The Committee in relation to IPL franchisees in general and Mr. Meiyappan in particular questioned Mr. Sundar Raman as to who an owner of a team is, to which he replied that the ownership structures of teams are in general ambiguous. Mr. Raman further stated that the term “owner” for the purpose of accreditation is loosely used and has no implication, while identifying an owner under the franchise agreement. He further stated that the status of an ultimate owner is not clear, but may be read as per the Franchise Agreement.”

Raman, COO of the IPL, was officious when it came to accreditation according to a source who worked in that department. “No one was more particular about accreditations and ensuring who the owner badges went to.”  

“Mr. Raman also admitted that the IPL Governing Council had not made any effort to determine who the ultimate owners of the franchisees were.”

The source continues: “Each and every member of the Governing Council was clear on who the owners were and these were marked on all communication and discussions on franchise issues”.

“Mike Hussey a CSK cricketer in his book “Underneath the Southern Cross” had written at Page-197 about CSK as under: ‘Our owner was Indian cements headed by Mr. Srinivasan. As he was also on the board of the BCCI, he gave control of the team to his son-in-law Mr. Gurunath. He ran the team along with Kepler Wenels [sic], who was coach’.”

 Hussey’s reputation in the game is impeccable. Why did Srinivasan initially say Gurunath was merely an “enthusiast” and then backtrack to claim ignorance of his role?

“The Committee feels that there is enough information available on record to indicate that a further investigation is required in respect of the match held at Jaipur, between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings on the 12.5.2013. The factors are as follows:

Factors that cast aspersions: Batting first no sixes were hit by CSK who otherwise have proven six hitters. Factors that indicate nothing was amiss: Teams tend to relax in matches which are of no consequence post qualification for the knock out semi-final grounds.”

 This is the only instance in IPL and CLT20 history that a CSK batsman failed to hit a six.

Factors that cast aspersions: The Chennai Super Kings batting first were 89-1 in 11th over yet ended up with the modest total of 141 for 4. Factors that indicate nothing was amiss: Rajasthan Royals have generally won all matches at Jaipur as deposed by Anil Kumble.

 A ludicrous suggestion under ‘nothing was amiss’. Rajasthan have not won all their matches in Jaipur. Kuble is understood to have voted for Srinivasan in previous elections. However, far more importantly there was a suspicious betting pattern on this match. Chennai’s good start and the odds could be proof of classic odds manipulation. On the Betfair innings runs market more than £22,000 was available at 1.09 to back 150 or more. It is well known that when five figures are available this constitutes Indian money. It is also rare indeed to see such massive amounts on such a market. However, throughout this IPL season there were a number of matches which would have raised the eyebrows of betting experts in terms of patterns on this market.

“Mr. Pradeep Magazine told us that even the agents had a number of conflicts of interest as these agents besides dealing with the players also dealt with the BCCI for their stadia advertisements, sponsorships amongst other things. This conflict of interest made BCCI’s stance with regard to these agents soft and BCCI tended to ignore a lot of discrepancies in its conduct with agents.”

Arun Pandey, MS Dhoni’s agent, manage the marketing of CSK. The same company (Rhiti Sports) also manages players in the India team. Until recently Dhoni had a stake in this company.  

“The Committee is of the view that for the acts of betting by Mr. Meiyappan, which is further accentuated by the position he held in CSK, which was held by Mr. Meiyappan with the implicit approval of the franchisee owner India Cements, Mr. Meiyappan is in violation of Sections 2.2.1 and 2.14 the IPL Operational Rules for bringing the game in disrepute, Articles 2.2.1, 2.2.2, and 2.2.3 of the IPL Anti Corruption Code for his acts of betting and Articles 2.4.4 of the IPL Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials, for bring disrepute to the game of cricket.”

Under the IPL franchise agreement just one of these violations would be enough to make the CSK franchise defunct.

“The names of the persons and allegations in view of the sensitive nature of the information are being provided separately in a sealed envelope.”

It is understood that the same players have also been named by Sreesanth, the India bowler, in his interrogation by Delhi police. He stated that these players have been given flats, money and gifts by corruptors.”

“When the committee asked the ICC-ACSU for the required information that was in its possession, Mr. Y.P. Singh, the Director of ICC-ACSU, informed the Committee that information was available with Mr. N.S. Virk, the regional security officer and when Mr. Virk was contacted he stated that the said information if any, was not within his knowledge and was available with Mr. Y.P. Singh. Hence the Committees felt the officers of the ICC-ACSU were not very forthcoming.”

 Damning for the ACSU. It is known that at least one the ‘sealed envelope players’ has been investigated by the ACSU.

“2. Need for stringent and effective control on Player’ Agents.

The Committee received several recommendations that the agents of the players needed to be investigated in order to get to the root of this problem of match fixing and spot fixing.”

IPL officials have cancelled accreditations and barred some player agents from being present in the dug out or even at the ground. Lalit Modi, the founder of IPL, has also said that he barred player agents and had to speak to several ‘superstar’ players about the unwanted influence of agents.

Lalit Modi interview: the nail in the coffin for the world game

The last time I met with Lalit Modi he was becalmed. It was in September, just after the BCCI had confirmed a life ban. The waspish tongue had lost some if its sting and he admitted that there was some relief that the battle scars from his war with Srinivasan, the honcho of the Indian game, could heal. “I can get on with the rest of my life,” Modi sighed.


But today he is raging. This is the old Modi. Ready to go to war. His targets, those who have re-ignited the ire, are the BCCI, England Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Australia (CA). It was recently announced that the big three — so called because they represent the world game’s financial muscle – wanted an overhaul of the International Cricket Council which would give them all the power.

Under a new executive committee called ExCo, the trio would have the ability to override all other countries, raising the fear that while India, England and Australia would get richer, the poorer nations would be destitute.

Modi is barely able to contain his anger at the thought of what he describes as a “cartel” before rattling off at a thousand miles an hour the various doomsday implications for such a structural shift.

“It’s a cartel, an unholy trinity and it threatens the future of the game,” Modi says. “I’m serious. How can it possibly be good for the other Test playing nations and the associate members that these three line their own pockets. It is a scandal and it must be stopped.

“They are going to kill cricket with these proposals. Great, India and England and Australia can play themselves to their heart’s content but they have put every other nation on the bread line.”

It is, however, predictable that Modi is zeroing the crosshairs on Srinivasan and with whom he has waged a bitter battle since his exclusion from administration.

“Listen, this isn’t about me and Srini. But if you want to make it about me and him fine. He doesn’t have the best interests of the world game at his heart. He runs the BCCI like a fiefdom, his own personal business. And now he’s going to run world cricket for his own interests.”

Despite it ‘getting personal’ Modi’s views are worth heeding.

But Modi makes for captivating listening when he begins to pick apart his ‘unholy trinity’, brandishing the position paper point by point and clause by clause. Of chief concern is the question of governance. With the eagle-eye of a man who is used to poring over contracts, Modi focuses on the cloak of invisibility which the boards appear to be granting themselves.

“They are saying they should have the power because they can bring greater stability but they don’t explain how they are going to do it. This is cloak and dagger stuff. Where’s the transparency? And then they say that each member will be given revenue share in line with the growth of the ICC. They are just lining their pockets.

“You can read it yourself. It is clear in black and white. Section one, page three, point E and I’ll quote it ‘Ensuring a fair distribution of revenues, recognizing the contribution of each member to the ICC both on and off the field’. The key word there is ‘contribution’. Well, of course Indian ‘contribute’ more in terms of money than Zimbabwe. But this is totalitarian. This is about the rich getting richer and screw the rest.

“Again, a little further down. Same section, same page but point f. ‘The need to streamline bilateral cricket arrangements and ensure the on-going relevance of all these matches to ICC events and the viability of cricket in all relevant markets’. Look, we all know what streamline means in this context. It’s reducing or getting rid all together.”

“These three want to stop playing the small fry like Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Sri Lanka. Because they don’t think people are interested in watching the lesser teams. But that cuts off the blood supply to these countries. In the short term the ‘Three Boards’ will be richer but long term? Only three teams will be left and who wants to watch that? This is why it is self-interest because in the long term, Srinivasan, Clarke and Wally Edwards (CA chairman) will be sitting on their ivory towers retired and living the very good life. They won’t care.

“Here is another clause that proves it. ‘No member should be forced to host uneconomic tours’. And another ‘There should be no Future Tours Programme agreement’ and they want to change the cycle of when teams play each other to a minimum of four years. These clauses are the nails in the coffin for the world game.

“Perhaps worst of all there is a clause in there which allows them to restructure the ICC in such a way they can control it for a very long time. It’s cleverly written for sure but people need to have their eyes opened.
“And there are threats too. It says that the ExCo teams will not play the smaller ones at all unless they agree to this deal. This is blackmail.”

Modi remains incandescent as he fires off each missive. He reveals more devil in the detail, information which may strike at the heart of every fan who wants cricket to remain global, fair and open to all. Fittingly, it is the breakdown of the financials which exposes a worrying flaw.

“They are proposing that they get all the power and all the money, ok? How are they going to do that? By getting a larger slice of the pie. Under the current arrangement of dividing up the $2.5 billion the ICC earns, everyone bar the ‘Three Boards’ are going to be poorer. I’ve looked into it, Ehsan Mani has looked into it. These are facts.

“Currently the BCCI, ECB and CA would get just over $117 million. When they get their way they’ll pocket greater sums. And guess who gets the most? Srini and the BCCI. They would earn more than $500 million, the ECB about $173m and CA $130m. As for the rest, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe would see their income reduced by almost half. The associate members, as a group, now get $500m and that would be slashed to $210m. That is not right.

“They say they are doing this to protect Test cricket. What? Are you serious? You are protecting a format by ensuring there is no competition and that no other teams can invest in it? This is a joke. And they want promotion and relegation as well just to make sure the big shots never have to face the smaller teams.”

The plan to ensure that only India, Australia and England host World Cup events from 2015-2023 can hardly be described, therefore, as innovative. Nor is it about taking the game to the people.

It is, in fact, in contradiction to the ICC’s vision for the game. And it’s ‘Strategic Direction’ is to have “a bigger, better, global game targeting more players, more fans, more competitive teams.” This is a red rag to a bull to Modi when, somewhat mischievously, I ask him about these ‘mission statements’.

“Suicide. Plain and simple,” he cries. “They are burning bridges, not building them. They should read that stuff again before they strike the match and reduce this great game to cinders.

“No matter what, three countries will continue to play against each other and reap the benefits. Where is meritocracy in this proposal if promotion and relegation of Test teams is based purely on the amount of money they have?

“What happens to West Indies, Sri Lanka and Pakistan? Between them they have won four World Cups and yet they are being treated as also-rans? Where is the justice?  Why should India, England and Australia have all the say? England haven’t even won a World Cup. What gives them the right?”

I wonder whether Modi feels the BCCI should be handed such sway when the organisation has had its name grubbied by links to match-fxing in the IPL?

“Ha! No, no, we’ve done enough. I think you’re now trying to upset me,” he laughs. “Everyone knows about that and they are all clever enough to work that out for themselves. It’s not about me. It’s about this document. It’s about stopping this ‘ExCo’, this rubber stamp. What this clause will do if this paper is ever implemented is that it will hand all and I mean all the powers into the hands of one individual – and that can never be good for an organisation.”

Quite. It’s not about Modi. And despite the reputation that goes before him for being hot-headed and contradictory, cricket would be dumb not to listen to him on this one.

This article was first published in the Hindustan Times on January 28