BCCI president Sourav Ganguly will no longer be director of ATK Mohun Bagan, a football team owned by RPSG Ventures Ltd. Ganguly has made the decision after the Indian business conglomerate (RPSG) sought to buy the newly announced Lucknow IPL franchise with a record bid of INR 7,090 crore (USD 940 million approximately). Had Ganguly continued as director of Mohun Bagan, there could have been a possible controversy involving conflict-of-interest allegations against the former India batsman.
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Process of Quitting Mohun Bagan Role Has Begun
As per media reports, the process of quitting his role as director of Mohun Bagan has already been initiated by Ganguly. Mohun Bagan, which takes part in the Indian Super League competition, is counted among the two most popular and respected Indian football clubs. Apart from being director of the club, Ganguly is also known to be a shareholder. Reportedly, Ganguly has decided not to take up the role of director of the club as long as he is the president of the BCCI.
Conflict of Interest Issue Surfaced After Goenka State ment to Media
The issue of conflict of interest came into focus after the announcement by RPSG vice-chairman Sanjiv Goenka told a media outlet that Ganguly was in process of giving up his role as director of the iconic football club. His statement read:
Dual Role Will Violate BCCI Conflict of Interest Rule
The BCCI constitution has a ‘direct or indirect interest’ conflict rule; Ganguly would have violated the rule had he chosen to continue in his dual roles at the BCCI and Mohun Bagan. According to the BCCI rule,
Ganguly is no stranger to a conflict-of-interest controversy with regard to his position in the BCCI. In 2019, both Ganguly and his former India teammate VVS Laxman came under the “conflict of interest” scanner, when more than one post in Indian cricket was held by either individual. At the time, Ganguly was appointed an advisor with the IPL franchise Delhi Capitals even as he held the post of president of the Cricket Association of Bengal. Additionally, he was working as a commentator on television.