COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS ISSUE

Complimentary tickets impasse causes uncertainty over Mumbai ODI

by Gaurav Gupta • Last updated on

Wankhede Stadium is scheduled to host the 4th ODI between India and Windies on October 29. © Getty

A cloud of uncertainty hangs over the fourth ODI between India and the West Indies scheduled at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on October 29.

Like cricket associations of Madhya Pradesh, Bengal and Tamil Nadu, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) is clear that it won't accept CoA's 'compromise formula' of the BCCI providing 600 tickets from its share to solve the complimentary passes impasse it's locked in with the state associations.

"We haven't taken any decision so far. But 600 tickets just won't be enough for us. We need 7,000 tickets because we need to give them to all our (330) club members, donors, government of Maharashtra, police, fire brigade, sports department, PWD," an MCA source told TOI on Monday (October 8).

To make things worse, the MCA has been without a head ever since the term of the two-member Committee of Administrators' (CoA) comprising retired judges Hemant Gokhale and VM Kanade, ended on September 15. The CoA was appointed by the Bombay High Court on April 6 this year to implement the Lodha reforms in the MCA.

In the absence of lack of clarity over who exactly is running the association, the cricket body has been left in a chaotic situation. "There's no authorised signatory to sign cheques on behalf of the MCA, so we haven't been able to pay salaries to our staff for the last month. Since we can't operate our bank account, we couldn't even clear the bill of the Mumbai team, which was supposed to check out of its hotel in Bangalore (where it had gone to play in the league stage of the Vijay Hazare Trophy).

"We had to request the BCCI to clear the bill. We have to pay property tax and the electricity bill too. When we host an international match, we have to float tenders for in-stadia advertisements, generator sets, and so many other things. There are so many payments to be done to various agencies. Who will sign the cheques now?" wondered an MCA official.

"We are ready approach the Supreme Court by Thursday. It's too early to say if the match is really under threat," the source said after the Bombay High Court dismissed a petition filed by two MCA managing committee members.

© TNN

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