Pak Paper Retracts Charges Against Dalmiya

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Fresh and independent investigations into the issue following the publication of two stories on the subject and following a protest from Jagmohan Dalmiya himself have confirmed that in his capacity as President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Chairman of the Tender Committee of the ACC, Dalmiya has not taken any arbitrary decisions regarding the sale of marketing rights for the Asia Cup.

PCB chief executive Rameez Raja made it clear that contrary to the earlier stories, Jagmohan Dalmiya had not taken any arbitrary decisions on the sale of marketing rights for either the Asia Cup or the three-nation tournament scheduled in August in Holland.

"The correct position is that Dalmiya first of all has been chosen to handle this issue as Chairman of the Tender Committee because of his expertise and background in financial and marketing matters in cricket and, secondly, because the members have the utmost confidence in his ability to market the Asia Cup as a mega event and make it a financially viable project for the ACC and its member countries," he clarified.

Rameez also dismissed allegations that Dalmiya had sold title, ground signage and other sponsorship rights for the Asia Cup without informing any of the other ACC members including Pakistan or without a transparent bidding process.

"Neither has he taken complete control of the marketing matters of the three nation tournament in Holland. The correct position is that it is widely known and on record that through Global Advertisements, offers have been invited and all offers from qualified tenderers would be duly evaluated by a well reputed organisation in total transparent manner for the Asia Cup," he said.

He said that it was also significant to mention that bids will be opened only on the 14th of June 2004 and only after evaluation of the offers, appropriate licenses would be granted.

"Thus, the imputation of rights being sold out without bothering to hold a proper bidding process is totally uncalled for, it is also false to impute by innuendo that there is ‘ill motive’ on the part of Dalmiya," Rameez stated.

The News cited independent sources as saying that while the chief executive of the ACC, Ashraf-ul-Haq, was a good friend of Dalmiya’s, there was no ‘nexus’ between them to take arbitrary decisions on marketing matters of the Asia Cup and to reap any personal benefit for themselves and their cricket boards.