Azharuddin fires fresh salvo against Apex Council

He says there is no fairness and no transparency in the appointment of the CEO in the Hyderabad Cricket Association

Hyderabad: In a fresh salvo fired against the Apex Council members, Hyderabad Cricket Association president Mohammed Azharuddin has said that there were violations of the constitution and procedural infirmities in the hiring of the CEO. The Apex Council had appointed Suneel Kamte as CEO last week.

“As we all understand from the secretary’s impugned message on WhatsApp on May 13, 2021 on the new CEO of HCA and his subsequent statement to the press it is only logical to assume that the hiring process was done under the collective responsibility and watchful eyes of the vice-president, secretary, joint secretary, treasurer and councillor. Neither I, the Players Council representatives and the CAG representative were kept in the loop on this hiring,” he said.

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The former Indian captain added that the advertisement issued in the newspaper on October 27, 2020 for CEO & CFO, there were six requirements mentioned in the advertisement to be fulfilled/demonstrated for applying/selection for the position like management degree with sufficient experience in different layers of organization, knowledge of budget planning and financial prudence, operational knowledge of cricket operations, ability to implement innovative administrative methods, should possess the ability to handle regulatory bodies and should be a team player. “None of them were followed and adhered to,” he said.

He also cited, quoting 23(1) of the law like, management experience of at least 5 years as CEO/MD of a company having a turnover of at least 100 crores. “This is the basic eligibility for the position.”

According to Azhar, the law further says in 23(3) that the eligibility criteria for CEO and managers shall be laid down by the Apex Council keeping in mind the following guidelines like knowledge & familiarity with cricket & other sports and understanding of the financial position & fiscal direction of HCA among other things.

As per law 23(4), Azhar said he wanted a fair and transparent process of appointment. “It’s sad all the above requirements of law were blatantly violated if you compare the advertisement that was published with the requirements under 23(1). He even said that these administrators had bulldozed the constitution.”

He further said the 12 CV’s were received on email between October 27, 2020 & November 11, 2020. “But the CV of the selected candidate announced by the secretary is not in the list of applications received on email. The advertisement in the newspaper is so flimsy that it just says, ‘please respond with your CV within 15 days’. Where to respond, how to respond and to whom to respond? God knows! This is transparency.”

Lambasting the Apex Council, he said: “To fulfil 23(1), documentary evidence of the applicant having been a CEO/MD for 5 years in a 100 cr turnover company is a basic requirement & should be proved by a letter from his previous employer is required from all applicants. I would be surprised if the 12 applicants were even called for an interview.”

“Therefore there is no fairness and no transparency in the appointment of the CEO,” he concluded.

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