On Sunday, Spain clinched the European Championships with what will probably rank as one of the most dominant displays in a tournament final. The 4-0 scoreline reflected not only how good they were but also how their legacy is getting stronger with each match. But while that was one of the biggest talking points for the world of sport, Indian cricket was rocked by the BCCI’s decision to hand out bans to the 5 players who were caught in sting operation by a TV channel.
Indeed, the match-fixing, spot-fixing controversies only seem to be growing with every passing moment. Danish Kaneria is in trouble regarding a similar case in county cricket.
The BCCI did the right thing. But could it have been done better? Reuters
“Eradication of corruption is a pipe dream, according to me. It has become so ingrained in human nature. I think what we are experiencing now is that the malaise is far more wide spread than we imagined. It’s not just 8-10 players at the highest level but it has penetrated into the lowest level and I think that is really the worry. The entire episode also shows us how vulnerable the players are,” said senior sports writer Ayaz Memon.
“Now that this is out in the open, it allows us to address the problem properly. Earlier, we were just ignorant of the problem,” he further added.
But then again is the question whether the inquiry was a fair one. Simply because while we are in favour of the harsh, deterring action that was taken, the BCCI has not taken all parties involved to task. One of the players who was banned has spoken about how the franchisees were offering players various perks. But were the teams or the owners asked to clarify?
“The issue which bothers me is that if you are taking their words at face value for making loose talk, then you need to do the same with the franchisees. Otherwise, this is a little lop-sided,” Ayaz said.
Watch the entire discussion between Ayaz Memon and Ashish Magotra above. The Euro final and Nadal’s fall at Wimbledon are also covered.
