IPL spot-fixing scandal: channel stands by sting operation

A day after airing a sting operation showing four Indian cricketers seeking money allegedly to switch teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and for spot fixing, the news channel which conducted it refuted allegations that any of the material had been doctored and stood by its authenticity. Rajat Sharma, Editor-in-chief of news channel India TV, said the channel had no doubts about the authenticity of the sting operation and prepared to go to court. When asked about one of the cricketers alleging that his voice had been doctored and threatening legal action, he said “If any of the cricketers take us to court then we will face it happily.” [caption id=“attachment_310102” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“The channel said none of the famous cricketers were found to be involved. AP”]  [/caption] Sharma said they had offered money to over a dozen cricket players, after which they have aired the clips of cricketers, who had offered to take money to either switch teams or for spot fixing in matches. He denied that any of the famous cricketers had been found guilty of seeking money from the channel’s reporters who had posed as agents. “As far as I know the big players in IPL are clean. This is possibly since they have already made enough money,” he said. While conducting the sting operation, Sharma said they had come across three cricketers who had refused to take money from the reporters and said it was a heartening thing. He also said there was no more footage to be shown by the channel as part of this sting operation conducted using hidden cameras. “No more footage is there, whatever we had we have shown,” Sharma said. The India TV chief said he hoped cricket players will be more careful in the future and the Indian cricket board’s anti-corruption unit had an idea of what was happening and took action accordingly. The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has sought the footage of the sting operation from the channel and has promised stringent action against those found guilty, he said. In a sting operation aired on the channel yesterday, four cricketers had been caught on camera offering to switch teams for money and for spot fixing. The cricketers have denied accepting money for match fixing and one of them has said he would take the channel to court.