Surat District Cricket Association (SDCA) member alleges dirty politics in Surat District Cricket Association (SDCA)

The dirty politics and internal tension going on in the sports world of Surat have once again come to the center of discussion. The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Surat District Cricket Association (SDCA) this time created a huge uproar over very sensitive issues like corruption, financial irregularities and women's safety. The most serious allegation came to light in the meeting, which was held in the presence of more than 200 members, that one of the coaches of the organization had demanded that a woman player be 'chatted at night' for selection in the team. On the other hand, the secretary of the association has termed all the allegations as baseless and assured a strict investigation. 'If you want selection, chat at night': Member Prateek Shah SDCA member Prateek Shah revealed in the general meeting that in the past, a message was sent by a coach to a woman player that 'if you want to be selected, you have to chat at night'. At the same time, he said that he has received evidence of irregularities in the cricket administration and phone recordings, which he will soon present to the police for proper investigation. Questions on administration, ISPL's accounts and conflict of interest without tendering Further, they alleged that the serious note made by the auditor about the non-tendering in the audit report was the main issue. He said that despite not having any formal contract with ISPL, the administration was carried out and the SOP was violated by making transactions through the secretary's personal e-mail without any invoice. Against the demand of Rs 5 crore, only Rs 2.5 crore has come to the organization and it has been termed as the final payment. Apart from this, there is an open conflict of interest as the cricket secretary, head coach and selectors are running their own private academy. Overage scam and bogus certificates In the general meeting, certificates of one player with two different dates of birth were also exposed. According to Prateek Shah, 50,000 to 60,000 youths are undergoing training in about 150 to 200 academies in Surat. However, 1,000 to 1,500 local talented players are subjected to injustice every year due to undocumented and overage players coming from outside. In the past, 7-8 players from Surat used to play in the Ranji Trophy, but today no player from a city with a population of 50 lakh can come forward. He demanded that the scoring of trial matches be made compulsory online to bring transparency in the selection process. 'Zero tolerance policy, allegations only in the air without evidence': Secretary Dr. Naimesh Desai Reacting to the allegation of chatting with a woman player, Surat District Cricket Association secretary Dr Naimesh Desai said that this is the first time a question has been asked during the AGM in this matter. So far, no such complaint has been received from any player or guardian. He clarified that the organization's policy against such matters is of 'zero tolerance'. Our team has a female coach working and works under the Child Protection Policy. If any concrete evidence is found, strict legal action will be taken. Rebuttal of all allegations of financial irregularities and conflict of interest Clarifying about the ISPL tournament, Dr. Naimesh Desai added that the e-mail transaction was duly approved in the Managing Committee. The amount of Rs 2.5 crore plus GST has been deposited in the bank account of the association including every penny and the accounts have been passed in the AGM. Denying that the selector or coach has a private academy, he said that all appointments have been made in accordance with the rules. On the allegations levelled against him, he disclosed that he has been practising as a paediatrician for 45 years and has never taken a single rupee from the Maitri Trust. In the bogus birth certificate dispute, the player's documents were sent to the GCA and approved only after passing the bone test, so all the allegations are baseless.