New Delhi, May 24 (PTI): An upset Sahara Group chief Subrato Roy today lashed out at N Srinivasan and stated that it will not sponsor the Indian cricket team as long as the beleaguered BCCI president stays at the helm.
"It's really unfair, sad, irritating and disgusting. The last 13-14 years we had enjoyed such a harmonious relationship (with BCCI) till Shashank Manohar was there. But after that it is so disgusting," said Roy, the owner of the Pune Warriors franchise which has pulled out of the IPL over financial issues with the BCCI.
"We enjoyed such a good relation with BCCI till Shashank Manohar was there."
Asked whether he will reconsider his decision to sponsor the Indian cricket team if Srinivasan is not at the helm, the Sahara chief said, "I will say yes to it."
"Everything revolves around Srinivasan. He doesn't know how to run a sports body like BCCI. A sports body chief shouldn't have such egoistic attitude," Roy told 'Times Now'.
"This way one cannot work. If Sahara does anything wrong the entire responsibility is on me and if BCCI does anyhting wrong being the president it's his responsibility.
"One should be at least civil, be courteous. I called him numerous time, even wrote to him but he didn't bother to reply. This is not the way to promote a sport.
Sahara Group pulled out of the domestic Twenty20 league and announced it would not renew its contract with the national team after the board encashed its bank guarantee for non-payment of franchise fee.
Sahara had failed to pay the amount of Rs 170 crore by May 19, but the fact that the BCCI didn't heed to its request not to encash points to a lack of trust between two sides.
The Sahara chief held BCCI responsible for the entire spot-fixing fiasco and said it was betrayed by the Board.
"When we took the franchise we have been assured of 94 matches and that's why we have quoted such a big price but later on it was reduced to 64 matches.
"I tried to convince him (Srinivasan) but he didn't listen. He committed but later broke all the commitments. I am sorry to say such a person shouldn't head an important sports body like BCCI," Roy said.
"We never defaulted in the last 13-14 years. We were trying our best to get the arbitration done but that was not happening. My legal team even advised me to withdraw after the start of the tournament but I said this is not sporting," he added.
Questioning Srinivasan's conflict of interest in the game, Roy said Chennai Super Kings' contract should be terminated immediately in the wake of franchise owner Gurunath Meiyappan's name cropping up in the spot-fixing scandal.
"If a franchise is involved in betting their contract should immediately be scrapped. I f a owner is involved in betting it's wrong," he said.
"People who rule sports bodies, National Sports Federations (NSFs) should be clear. A rule should be made that NSFs should be governed by sportspersons."
On the BCCI's assertion that it cannot enter into a private negotiation on the quantum of franchise fee, Sahara Group wondered whether the talks its chairman had with Board President as well as the IPL Chairman were not private negotiations.
"On the question of 'private negotiations', last year on February, when we have decided to pull out of IPL and Indian Cricket team sponsorship, the President of BCCI, IPL Chairman and other senior functionaries of BCCI met us, negotiated with us and a joint statement was worked out (in which they also had assured the resolution of the franchisee fee issue) – was that not a private negotiation? Should the words given by the Chairman of IPL be treated as private negotiation?
"Sahara has always acted in accordance with Franchise Agreement and in fact, despite BCCI unilaterally reducing the number of matches, Sahara continued to participate in the league and make payments as per the Franchise Agreement."